Tag: White House

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Gay Quisling In White House Sees No Problem With Trump’s LGBTQ Policies

Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere (images via Instagram)

Openly gay Judd Deere lives in Washington, D.C. He has a boyfriend, attended DC Pride, and currently serves in the Trump White House as Deputy Press Secretary.

Tasked with touting Donald Trump’s policies – including those that erode LGBTQ progress – Deere recently told Buzzfeed News he doesn’t care what the LGBTQ community thinks of him. He says his rise in the Trump administration is proof Trump isn’t homophobic.

“I’m completely open about who I am,” Deere told Buzzfeed. “These individuals that I work with in this building don’t treat me any differently because I’m gay.”

But, there is a caveat to that statement as Deere admits he doesn’t “walk into the White House every day and say, ‘I’m Judd Deere; I’m gay.’”

Adding that the president “doesn’t treat me any different” because he’s gay, Deere cops to not knowing if Trump even knows he identifies as gay.

Like former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Deere is originally from Arkansas.

He previously worked for the state’s Attorney General which fought against listing both same-sex parents on a child’s birth certificate. Striking down Fayetteville’s LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance was also on the menu during his time there.

“I focused on hiring the very best people, and that’s why I hired Judd,” wrote Sanders, in an email to Buzzfeed. “I am proud to have him on our team to help on LGBT issues as well as the many others in his portfolio.”

(image via Instagram/JuddPDeere)

Speaking of ‘helping on LGBT issues,’ Deere says he has no problem with the Trump administration’s policies regarding the community.

His position is that none of the controversial, news-making policies are really discriminatory.

On whether a baker can turn away a same-sex couple looking for a wedding cake?

“Yeah, that’s fine,” says Deere. “I’ll just go find another cake shop that will.”

Trump’s ban on transgender military service members, Deere says trans soldiers “erode military readiness,” and adds that the ban was “developed through extensive studies within the military by senior military officials.”

Not true – Trump’s own generals have publicly shared they were surprised by the July 2017 tweets announcing the ban.

When it comes to allowing healthcare providers to deny treatment to LGBTQ people based on ‘sincerely held religious beliefs,’ Deere (towing the administration line) says Trump is protecting ‘conscience rights.’

Buzzfeed’s Dominic Holden asked Deere what Trump has done for LGBTQ Americans, and Deere points to the president’s promise to end the HIV epidemic by 2030, as well as launching a “global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality.”

Across the board, though, Deere maintains that any notion the Trump administration is anti-LGBTQ is “just a smear campaign.”

And when it comes to how he himself might be perceived after agreeing to the Buzzfeedinterview, the deputy press secretary is unfazed.

“I don’t go into a dark depression because somebody hates the person I work for, or wants to get upset at me because they think I’m crazy for working here, because it just doesn’t matter to me,” said Deere.

(source: Buzzfeed News)

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6th White House Comm Director (Abruptly) Resigns

CNN is reporting on the 'abrupt' departure of White House communications director Bill Shine.

CNN is reporting on the ‘abrupt’ departure of White House communications director Bill Shine.

This comes just days after The New Yorker detailed the more-than-close relationship between Fox News and Donald Trump.

Shine worked as a Fox News executive until he was pushed out for his handling of numerous sexual harassment lawsuits at the network.

Shortly after Shine’s resignation was made public Friday, the Trump campaign announced Shine will be joining Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign as a “senior adviser.”

The New York Times‘ Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker write that sources say the campaign assignment may be an effort to help Shine save face.

Shine was the 6th communications director (so far) in the Trump administration.

In related news, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson also tendered her resignation to take a position in academia. According to reports, Trump had been considering firing Wilson for months due to what he considered slow progress on his proposed ‘Space Force.’

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White House Backs Down – Permanently Returns Jim Acosta’s White House Access

Jim Acosta (L) and Donald Trump (R)

The White House is backing down on its threat to permanently revoke the press pass of CNN’s Jim Acosta.

According a letter sent from the White House, Acosta will be granted his ‘hard pass’ again but there will be new rules that will affect not only him but all reporters in the White House press pool.

The primary ‘new rule’ will be one question per reporter at White House press briefings. The president, or any other official speaking from the podium, may grant a follow-up question but it will be at their discretion.

Watch the report below from CNN.

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CNN Sues Trump White House For Restoration Of Jim Acosta’s Press Credentials

In the aftermath of the White House revoking CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials, CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of Acosta’s access to the White House.

The lawsuit is a response to the White House’s suspension of Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass,” last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. CNN is seeking a preliminary hearing as soon as possible.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away last Wednesday.

“CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court,” the statement read. “It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN’s Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association said it “strongly supports CNN’s goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.”

The White House has shifted its explanation for barring Acosta.

Initially, the reason for suspension was “placing his hands” on an intern (he didn’t), but now the issue supposedly is that he kept asking questions.

So, if they think he monopolizes a press conference, why call on him?

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Anonymous Op-Ed In NY Times: “I Am Part Of The Resistance Inside The Trump Administration”

The New York Times has published an astonishing anonymous op-ed from someone who purports to be a senior official in the Trump White House. The Times says it knows the identity of the author, and is publishing the piece due to its "important perspective."
Donald Trump

Umm, wow.

The New York Times has published an astonishing anonymous op-ed from someone who purports to be a senior official in the Trump White House.

The Times says it knows the identity of the author, and is publishing the piece due to its “important perspective.”

Here’s how the essay begins:

President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader.

It’s not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump’s leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall.

The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

The author goes on to say he and his allies are not the ‘resistance’ of the left but are putting country first while Donald Trump continues to act “in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”

The goal of the insiders (who the author refers to as not the “deep state” but the “steady state”) is to thwart “Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

Continuing, the author refers to Trump’s leadership style as “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.”

And then there’s this bombshell:

Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.

You really must read the full essay here.

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White House Hosts Virtual ‘Who’s Who’ Of Anti-LGBT Activists

Last night’s event at the White House was grand enough to rival past ’state dinners’ held for visiting heads of state as President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence welcomed a ‘who’s who’ of evangelical, anti-LGBTQ leaders.
Anti-LGBT megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress

Last night’s event at the White House was grand enough to rival past ’state dinners’ held for visiting heads of state as President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence welcomed a ‘who’s who’ of evangelical, anti-LGBTQ leaders.

Prominent anti-gay haters included longtime anti-choice activist Ralph Reed, hate group leader Tony Perkins, Texas megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress (who once declared that Jews are going to hell for killing Jesus), and “Christian” activist Jim Garlow (who has publicly stated gays are ‘demonic’).

That said, Donald Trump’s White House crew were all on hand to happily take pics with the leaders of Trump’s evangelical base, including supposedly LGBTQ-friendly Jared and Ivanka Trump.

Many Americans have not been able to understand how so-called “Christians” can reconcile so many less-than-moral incidents in Trump’s past and present.

In fact, a recent Fox News poll shows Trump enjoys 74% job approval among evangelicals.

The reason why? They don’t care about his moral failings as long as they get the policies they want.

On Fox News last night, Jeffress explained to host Shannon Bream that as long as Trump delivers on the policies he and his ilk want to see passed, they will not be ‘shamed’ for supporting the Trumpster.

“I know a lot of people are still perplexed ‘Why are Christians so supportive of Donald Trump?’” Jeffress said. “Well, it’s really not that hard to figure out when you realize he is the most pro-life, pro-religious liberty, pro-conservative judiciary in history and that includes either Bush or Ronald Reagan. I think that is why evangelicals remain committed to this president and they are not going to turn away from him soon.”

“To be fair, Shannon, we have to understand these are still allegations against the president, so I’m not going to judge the president on these things,” said the megachurch pastor. “But even if they were true, some of these allegations, I mean, obviously, we don’t support extramarital affairs, we don’t support hush money payments, but what we do support are these president’s excellent policies,” Jeffress continued. “And I think most thinking people can absolutely differentiate between the two.”

“And don’t be mistaking what is going on here. Those who hate President Trump, those on the left know that if they can dislodge his evangelical supporters from him, they have a shot at overtaking the White House. So I think the left is trying to shame people like myself continuously for supporting this great president. It’s not going to work. We’re not going to turn away from him.”

Watch Jeffress explain why he and fellow “Christians” won’t be ‘shamed” by Donald Trump’s deeds below.

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Why The Trump White House Leaks So Much

Donald Trump

Last week, the political world was in an uproar over White House aide Kelly Sadler declaring during a meeting in the West Wing that Sen. John McCain’s opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel was largely not important because “he’s dying anyway.”

Not a kind way to speak about a man who’s devoted his whole life to service to country.

Today, the White House is trying the spin the story into a “leak” scandal.

“When you work in any work environment…if you aren’t able in internal meetings to speak your mind, or convey thoughts, or say anything that you feel without feeling like your colleagues will betray you, that creates a very difficult work environment,” said White House press secretary Raj Shah.

Writing for Axios, Jonathan Swan took time to explore why the Trump White House has so many leaks to the press.

“To be honest, it probably falls into a couple of categories,” one current White House official tells me. “The first is personal vendettas. And two is to make sure there’s an accurate record of what’s really going on in the White House.”

“To cover my tracks, I usually pay attention to other staffers’ idioms and use that in my background quotes. That throws the scent off me,” the current White House official added.

“The most common substantive leaks are the result of someone losing an internal policy debate,” a current senior administration official told me. “By leaking the decision, the loser gets one last chance to kill it with blowback from the public, Congress or even the President.”

“Otherwise,” the official added, “you have to realize that working here is kind of like being in a never-ending ‘Mexican Standoff.’ Everyone has guns (leaks) pointed at each other and it’s only a matter of time before someone shoots. There’s rarely a peaceful conclusion so you might as well shoot first.”

Axios‘ Mike Allen, who covered the White House for 20 years, says “we learn more about what’s going on inside the Trump White House in a week than we did in a year of the George W. Bush presidency.”

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White House Staffers May Quit Over Rudy Giuliani Media Circus

Axios reports there is unrest in the White House as the Rudy Giuliani media circus continues to unravel.

If you were gobsmacked watching Rudy Giuliani’s media tour this week — which he launched on Fox News’ Hannity by announcing that Trump reimbursed lawyer Michael Cohen for a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels — you weren’t alone.

What we’re hearing: A White House official told me there were “a couple of Mooch references” in the West Wing last week, as Giuliani’s performance recalled Anthony Scaramucci’s frenzied 11-day stint last summer as White House communications director.

If the Giuliani circus continues unabated — with him taking media calls day and night and freelancing on legal and policy matters — White House staff will likely quit, a well-placed source tells me.

And John Oliver of HBO’s Last Week Tonight offered this summation of Rudy’s first two weeks as Donald Trump’s new legal eagle.

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Several Prominent Winter Olympians Won’t Be At White House Reception Today

Gus Kenworthy & Adam Rippon at Opening Ceremonies of 2018 Winter Olympics

The White House will host members of the 2018 U.S. Winter Olympic and Paralympic teams this morning but several of the bigger names from this years’ Games won’t be in attendance.

From USA Today:

Lindsey Vonn won’t be there. Neither will opening ceremony flag bearer Erin Hamlin, or Adam Rippon, or almost all of his figure skating colleagues, or Chloe Kim, or Gus Kenworthy, or Jessie Diggins, or David Wise.

Some, like Vonn, Rippon and Kenworthy in particular, have made it clear they are skipping the U.S. Olympic Committee’s White House visit because they do not want to stand with the controversial Trump, who, among other things, bragged about sexually assaulting women in a video released during the 2016 presidential campaign, mocked a disabled person during the campaign and called some white supremacists “very fine people” after the deadly Charlottesville rally.

Others have just said they are going to be, um, busy.

Rippon has a full schedule with Dancing with the Stars rehearsals even as he’s touring with “Stars On Ice.”

But it was a foregone conclusion neither he nor Kenworthy would be attending today.

Rippon told USA Today:

“I have been invited to so many incredible things, to the Human Rights Campaign dinner, the GLAAD Media Awards. I was so honored and so excited to go to those, more so than I would be to go to the White House. I feel like it was more important for me to go to those events because it’s a cause that I really believe in, it’s a message that I believe in. It’s important for me to align myself with those people who have the same ideals that I have.”

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Even The Easter Bunny Knows

From CNN – President Donald J. Trump touts the economy and the military at the annual White House Easter egg roll. Just so inappropriate. And then there’s, “This incredible house, or building or whatever you want to call it….” We call it The White House. The look on the Easter Bunny’s face is priceless. Watch below.