Posted on 07/23/2017 4:18:47 PM PDT by Pinkbell
Talk of potential "Rexit" at Foggy Bottom, new tests for President Trump on immigration, tax reform and media relations and a big challenge for the nation's oldest civil rights organization -- it's all part of our Inside Politics Forecast.
1) A chill across the executive branch -- and new rumblings from State Department
There was a decided chill across the executive branch as last week came to a close after a tumultuous series of events that rattled worker bees and caught the attention of Cabinet secretaries.
A large part of that dynamic was the result of the White House staff shakeup -- which saw President Trump overruling top advisers to hire Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, and the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer.
Bigger, though, were the continuing conversations about The New York Times interview in which Trump sharply criticized his attorney general and longtime supporter -- Jeff Sessions -- saying it was "unfair to the President" that Sessions recused himself from any decisions related to the Russia election meddling investigation.
Among those who viewed the President's public rebuke of Sessions as unprofessional, according to several sources, is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon-Mobil CEO.
Tillerson has a growing list of differences with the White House, including a new debate over Iran policy and personnel. His frustration is hardly a secret and it has spilled out publicly at times. But friends sense a change of late.
For weeks, conversations with Tillerson friends outside of Washington have left the impression that he, despite his frustrations, was determined to stay on the job at least through the end of the year. That would allow time to continue efforts to reorganize the State Department and would mean he could claim to have put in a year as America's top diplomat.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Both of these sources are familiar with Tillerson conversations with friends outside Washington. Both said there was a noticeable increase in the secretary's frustration and his doubts that the tug-of-war with the White House would subside anytime soon. They also acknowledged it could have been venting after a tough week, a suggestion several DC-based sources made when asked if they saw evidence Tillerson was looking for an exit strategy.
I know. It's CNN, so there will certainly be cries of fake news. I'm not sure I believe this. I don't personally think Rex will go anywhere. That said, I always wondered about the fit of Tillerson as he was recommended by Condi Rice, and the Bush Administration had a totally different foreign policy than what Trump ran on. There was a report posted here on FR that the state department was defying Trump's refugee cap, and Cernovich had reported that Tillerson wanted 100,000 refugees and that people under him like Brian Hook are Never Trumpers. There have been reports of tension I have read, but they may be overblown.
If Tillerson leaves, I hope Trump gives Rudy the job he wanted from the beginning.
This next part about tax reform:
2) Tax reform next? White House nervous as it eyes clock
Trump pushed again Saturday for GOP senators to resolve their differences and settle on an Obamacare repeal and replace package. The White House wants a win, and worries failure will further damage the President's political standing.
Some top Trump aides are worried about the calendar --- believing all this time spent on health care, without success, might have a domino effect on another top White House priority.
Julie Hirshfeld Davis of The New York Times detailed the anxiety over finding a path toward tax reform.
"What we're seeing, what we're hearing, from these meetings that have been going on behind the scenes with Steven Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, Gary Cohn, the National Economic Council director and the top congressional leaders on the Republican side is that they're sort of starting to think about potentially trimming their sales and not doing a big massive tax reform but instead a tax cut," Davis said. "There is a lot of uncertainty about whether they're even going to be able to get that this year."
Trump had said his instincts was to start with tax reform. He listened to Paul Ryan and started with healthcare. Trump was propelled to victory by his instincts, and he should have went with them.
However, I think he should have started with infrastructure. He could have gotten bipartisan support on infrastructure, and I read that Chuck Schumer was afraid Trump would start with infrastructure because it would be unitive and help Trump. Infrastructure and building is Trump's wheelhouse. It may have been a way to bring the country together (although I highly doubt you can ever unite people whose motto is #Resist), but even if not, it's something I know Trump could get done.
Meanwhile, Obamacare could have continued it's collapse, and there would have been more support for a replacement. Right now, due to lack of promotion of this bill and the GOP fighting, Obamacare is more popular by a good deal than the GOP proposal.
John King: “she is winning in Florida, Ohio, Nevada, and I could go on and on.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0Rjc6jKCg
Cue Tim Robbins. “A chillll ...”
‘But two sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity’
As long as Very Fake News has anonymous sources, you will have something to post.
Ahhh, CNN. Trying to sow the seeds of discord in the Trump Administration, eh?
CNN, like the democrats and RINOs, make up the leadership of the party of anomov, nothing any of them say is ever the truth.
This is all those unnamed sources who happen to “say’ what the NYT is hoping they will say negative about Trump’s administration. For example, the State Department is crawling with stinkin’, slimy, swamp creatures who are treasonous globalists and hate Trump.
I don’t know how low down the ladder one would have to go to find someone who is NOT part of the deep state.
They all play games and win the peoples’ trust then break it off. But if Trump was to appoint a real outsider such as a lowly captain, to, say SOD, he would never be approved.
I don’t think Tillerson is going anywhere myself, but do you think Rudy could get through if Tillerson left? He wanted the job initially.
CNN: I’ll read that as meaning Rex is happy and will stay forever...
On infrastructure I disagree with you.
Infrastructure is the desert- everybody gets money for their voters. It’s the payoff.
So it comes last, just before the elections.
It’s CNN so not really worth reading the whole article. It’s likely just made up out of alphabet soup anyway.
It’s CNN so not really worth reading the whole article. It’s likely just made up out of alphabet soup anyway.
Oooooh!
A chill! My heavens!
Overwrought rhetoric is all they have.
Infrastructure? You mean Obama stimulus II. I am sure liberals like stuff like that but no sale here.
Trump needs to stay focused on getting ObamaCare repealed, lowering taxes and building the wall.
CNN has NO “credibility” to lose.
I think this just disinformation floated by the DNC. Just more fiction parroted by Clinton News Network.
In short, SOS.
Time will tell
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