Some of the “red flags” the RNC noted for potential Trump appointees: Kris Kobach and “white supremacy,” Rudy Giuliani’s extensive foreign entanglements, Gen. Petraeus’ opposition to torture. https://t.co/Zh6FVCsoLz pic.twitter.com/bWBk0E4oCz
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) June 23, 2019
"we're fine with Petraeus being a criminal but it's a nonstarter that he's not a WAR criminal." – the Trump transition, basically.
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) June 23, 2019
Axios got their hands on a bunch of the Trump transition team’s “vetting” documents, which they decided to report on a summer Sunday evening because LOL nothing matters — and besides, who can tell what hot topic will be breaking by Monday morning?
Nearly 100 internal Trump transition vetting documents leaked to “Axios on HBO” identify a host of “red flags” about officials who went on to get some of the most powerful jobs in the U.S. government.
Why it matters: The massive trove, and the story behind it, sheds light on the slap-dash way President Trump filled his cabinet and administration, and foreshadowed future scandals that beset his government…
Behind the scenes: In the chaotic weeks after Trump’s surprise election victory, Trump fired Chris Christie as the head of his transition. The team that took over — which V.P. Mike Pence helmed — outsourced the political vetting of would-be top officials to the Republican National Committee…
– President-elect Trump reviewed many of these documents at Trump Tower and Bedminster before his interviews, according to a source who saw him eyeball them.
– Traditionally, any would-be top official faces three types of vetting: an FBI background check, a scrub for financial conflicts of interest from the Office of Government Ethics, and a deep dive from the president-elect’s political team, which veteran Washington lawyers often handle…
– The documents show what Trump’s vetting shop worried about in assessing candidates for the most important jobs in government…
Dank Grey Pre-Dawn Open Thread: “Vetting” for What They Considered ImportantPost + Comments (13)