Transition Team/Cabinet Thread

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Good God, not Sarah Palin.  I mean if he wants to make her the Russian Ambassador that's fine, since she can see Russia from her house, but c'mon.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Petraeus is on a short list?  He'd never get confirmed in today's world.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

We now have a new White House Counsel

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-appoints-donald-mcgahn-as-white-house-counsel/ar-AAkLnGy?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

He'll be the #1 guy vetting SCOTUS nominees.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I like Petraeus but why have another choice that's going to be tough to get through.......giving classified information to your hoochy mamma is a big deal.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Why is Trump always hunched over like that? He's always leaning forward like that in just about every picture of him sitting that I've seen.

Exactly how bad is his posture?

If you haven't watched this, you should.  His posture is fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGfdgtQxpY

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Interesting...what could Trump want with Preet Bharara

‏@maggieNYT  7m7 minutes ago
Bharara spokesman tells me he is meeting with Trump today. Reasons unclear.

A backup in case Sessions goes down in flames?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Interesting...what could Trump want with Preet Bharara

‏@maggieNYT  7m7 minutes ago
Bharara spokesman tells me he is meeting with Trump today. Reasons unclear.

A backup in case Sessions goes down in flames?

Why would Trump even consider Bharara for AG?

I have no clue, just a stab in the dark.  Maybe something will leak out.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

NEW: Sarah Palin under consideration for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, sources tell @ABC News
https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/804027364518793217?lang=de

Oh dear lord...

Are we sure the senate would even confirm Palin?

One hopes not.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

He could also just commute the probation.

That's messy, and hardly worth it, even though I am a Petraeus fan.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

He'll get the waiver and he'll be fine.  SecDef isn't a diplomatic post and he has the credentials.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

This is from a few days ago, but:

https://twitter.com/kevcirilli/status/804130202930610176

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Fran Townsend would be a great choice.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Not a Carson fan.....ugh.  Fiorina wouldn't be a bad choice.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Politics1.com ‏@Politics1com  9m9 minutes ago
Oklahoma Atty Gen Scott Pruitt (R) PEOTUS Trump’s "leading candidate" to head the EPA, per Politico. Pruitt is a longtime critic of the EPA.

Alex Isenstadt ‏@politicoalex  15m15 minutes ago
Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt is expected to become next EPA head

He'd give up a chance to be Governor to... run the EPA? Seems like a major step down

Dude he lives in Jokelahoma........although you are right that Governors are like little Kings in their state.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

WEEI radio in Boston and the NY Post are reporting that PEOTUS is considering former MLB manager Bobby Valentine as Ambassador to Japan.

This is actually not a terrible pick, much like Branstad. Valentine managed in Japan and speaks the language. Plus he apparently knows Abe

And he didn't get the job because of his last name, like our current ambassador to Japan did.  Although I'm sure she did a serviceable job.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Now Giuliani has apparently withdrawn from taking ANY cabinet position.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/09/politics/rudy-giuliani-removes-himself-from-consideration-for-trump-cabinet-post/index.html

Considering early on he was talking as if he was offered a job, this is just bizarre.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Honestly, I don't understand why Heidi would even want to join his administration. It's looking like it will have great potential to be spectacularly corrupt and hated, and by joining she will buy herself only an extra 2 years in public office assuming she were to lose in 2018, so how is this good for her? Does she really want being a member of Trump's cabinet on her resume? His reelection is no more a shoe-in than hers, so it's quite possible that she gets just 2 more years at the expense of her integrity/image. Just seems like a sucky deal to me.

But, then again, maybe I'm looking at it wrong.

Let's look at it just a tad differently.

It's a Cabinet position Trump won't tinker with.  Agriculture doesn't seem to be on his radar.  Being called Madam Secretary for the rest of her life might sound appealing, as will the gagillion dollar corporate job she'll get in the industry assuming this is her last political post.  Of course she could always run for another office afterwards if she's not totally inept at this job.  This is pretty much a no lose situation.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

One of the more interesting appointments yet to be discussed will be the U.S. Trade Representative. 

Should be fun.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

-Trump then met with Bob Gates, who recommended Tillerson. Gates' recommendation appears to have been key in Trump's decision.

I view Robert Gates as one of America's finest public servants.  Six presidents agree, including Obama.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I wish Lindsey Graham and John McCain would both STFU and go away for good.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I'm surprised he hasn't named a Press Secretary yet.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Kellyanne Conway, unsurprisingly, lands a big West Wing office job.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/22/politics/donald-trump-kellyanne-conway-counselor/

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Fran Townsend would be an excellent choice for DNI.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I'm ok with this choice^^^^^^^^

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Any peeps about the transition trying to fill the United State's Attorney's vacancies?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Trump and Abe are buds so I"m sure the Japanese will be satisfied with this choice.