I get so tired of this crap from the media. According to the Constitution, the executive power of the Federal government isn't vested in some nebulous "administration", but in the President himself. Everyone else serves at the pleasure of the President. Theoretically, It was Civil Service laws that caused the downfall of America.
The Guardian is a British paper, in the UK the government has to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they may be a bit confused about how we do things over here.