President Trump Wins One, Loses One And Gets An Undecided On Thursday
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) -- It was a busy Thursday on Capitol Hill for the Trump administration.
One nominee was given the green light, and another was given a grilling, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported.
Yes, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator had to defend his spending practices, but another nominee for secretary of state is right now on the job, and headed abroad already, to visit NATO allies.
The Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as the new secretary of state.
"I think he's going to be an outstanding secretary of state," Tennessee Republican Bob Corker said.
But the confirmation came as another Trump nominee withdrew from consideration. Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson withdrew his nomination for Veteran's Affairs secretary amid allegations of misconduct. President Trump is said to have another nominee in mind, one with more political experience. He told a group of wounded warriors that he's cleaning up the Veterans Administration.
"We had people that were terrible working there and they're gone," Trump said.
Trump defended Jackson, while entertaining children at a take-your-kids-to-work event.
"He's a great man and got treated very unfairly. He got treated really unfairly, and he's a helluva man," the president said.
On Capitol Hill, house Democrats aggressively questioned Scott Pruitt's spending practices as head of the EPA, particularly the $43,000 spent on a soundproof booth installed in his office.
When asked if his staff did it without his knowledge, Pruitt said, "I was not involved in the approval of the $43,000 and if I had known about it I would have refused it," Pruitt said.
Meanwhile, the president was interviewed on "Fox This Morning," and was he asked what he was getting for first lady Melania for her 48th birthday, which is Thursday.
"Well, I better not get into that because I'll get her in trouble. Maybe I didn't get her so much. I got her a very beautiful card. You know, I'm very busy to be running out looking for presents, okay?" Trump said.
The president's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday after a judge appointed a "special master" in the case. Former judge Barbara Jones will decide who gets to view documents seized by the FBI in raids of Cohen's home and office earlier this month.
