Sunday: Miller, Klobuchar, Barrasso, Davis, Potter
Friday evening, President Trump turned to Twitter to name Office of Management and Budget chief Mick Mulvaney his pick for acting White House chief of staff.
....I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year. He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018
Fierce speculation had abounded over the president's replacement for John Kelly, after several top contenders made their disinterest for the role clear. Mulvaney will now face steep challenges in the new post, highlighted this week by another torrent of harrowing headlines for the president.
Earlier Friday, the special counsel rebuked Michael Flynn's suggestion that FBI agents duped the former intelligence agency head into lying.
"He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents, to know the importance of telling them the truth," Mueller probe attorneys chided in a court filing.
In his own Twitter attacks, President Trump has echoed the argument from his former national security adviser, bashing federal investigators for trying "to scare everybody into making up stories."
But the president's wrath has apparently done little to slow prosecutors in his own Justice Department, which this week secured a guilty plea from Russian spy Maria Butina, scored a three year sentence for longtime Trump fixer Michael Cohen, and reportedly opened a potential new front of Trump scrutiny: foreign donations to his inaugural fund.
In the Senate on Thursday, several Republicans broke with the Trump administration to pass bipartisan resolutions condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and calling for an end of U.S. support for the Kingdom's bloody war in Yemen.
And in the House, prospects for President Trump's demands for billions in border wall funding have dimmed in the wake of his fiery encounter Tuesday with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
"I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down," the president had told the duo.
The president's border funding fight was made thornier Friday by news a child had perished in the Border Patrol's custody, triggering immediate criticism from Democrats and calls for an investigation.
Speaking with the press Friday, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley mourned Jackeline Caal, appearing to blame her father and current immigration laws for the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl's "horrific, tragic situation."
"Does the administration take responsibility for a parent taking a child on a trek through Mexico to get to this country?" Gidley asked.
"No."
For the latest on all the news of the week, don't miss "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation) this Sunday with Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan).
Senior Adviser to President Trump, Stephen Miller, will join us.
We'll talk to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) of Minnesota.
Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) will join us.
Lanny Davis (@LannyDavis) is an adviser to Michael Cohen. We'll sit down with him.
We'll hear from former Federal Election Commission Chairman Trevor Potter (@thetrevorpotter), president of the Campaign Legal Center.
And for perspective on the week that was, we'll turn to our panel:
- Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) of The Federalist
- Kelsey Nell (@kelsey_snell) of NPR
- Margaret Talev (@margarettalev) of Bloomberg News
- Edward Wong (@ewong) of The New York Times
On television, the radio, and streaming online, don't miss America's premier public affairs program this weekend. Click here for your local listings.
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