Thursday, July 27, 2017

PKG: Trump warned by top Republican over Sessions, Mueller firing

Lindsey Graham, a leading Republican in the US Senate is warning Donald Trump that any attempt to fire Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller will be "the beginning of the end" of his Presidency.


Mr. Mueller is leading a probe into ties between the Trump campaign last year and the Russians.


Meanwhile, the White House is conceding that no plan exists for the implementation of the President's order to ban transgendered people from serving in the US military.


The President's announcement caused consternation in the corridors of the Pentagon, and is reported to have "appalled" Defense Secretary James Mattis.


Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports on the latest self-inflicted wounds by America's President.


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It is tempting to begin every report on the Trump Presidency with the phrase:  we've never seen anything like this before.

But we've truly never heard a Republican Senator using this kind of language about a Republican President.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warning Donald Trump not even to think about firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.


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The idea that President Trump might fire them both has been fueled by the President himself…especially on Twitter.

For nearly a week he has engaged in the public bludgeoning of his Attorney General….a man who at one time was the only Republican Senator backing Donald Trump's Presidential bid.

But the President's loyalty to Jeff Sessions has expired…Donald Trump furious that he recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation after himself lying to Congress about the extent of his communications with the Russians.

At the White House, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, notably refused to rule out the possibility of the Attorney General's dismissal.


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The President's been busy firing other people, or at least trying to.

His sudden announcement that he's banning transgendered people from serving in the US military appears to have pulled the rug out from his own Defense Secretary James Mattis who has told associates he was "appalled" by the President's move.

Imagine, then, being a transgendered soldier serving in Iraq or Afghanistan…wondering whether you're still welcome to show up for work.

The Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley says he wasn't among the un-named "military experts" the White House insists the President consulted.


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And there is more:  in the West Wing of the White House, there seems to be a cannibalistic feeding frenzy following the arrival of a new Director of Communications, Anthony Scaramucci.

His appointment led to the immediate resignation of Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Then he ousted a deputy press secretary accused of leaking information to the press.

But now, in only his first full week on the job, Mr. Scaramucci is going after a bigger gun:  the White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus.


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Mr Scaramucci last week compared himself to Winston Churchill, now says that he and Mr. Priebus are like Cain and Abel….intimating that only one of them can survive.

The smart money here is not on Reince Priebus.

Other top figures are also said to be considering their positions:  Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, is widely reported to be wondering how much longer he wants to represent President Trump internationally.

National Security Adviser HR McMaster and the aforementioned Defense Secretary James Mattis are also said to be wondering what they got into when they signed on to the Trump team.

It is now chaos here on a daily basis….and while the President thinks he thrives on it….it may end up consuming large parts of his own administration.


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