Anthony Scaramucci is gone from his position as communications director because, the White House claimed in a Monday statement, Scaramucci “felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team.”
The truth is more likely found in something Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in her Monday afternoon press briefing. “General Kelly has the full authority to operate within the White House, and all staff will report to him,” she said. That cuts against both Scaramucci’s public pronouncement that he answered to the president and the impression he left that his relationship with the Donald Trump was more personal and closer than the average White House aide. But as the New York Times reported, Kelly requested Scaramucci be let go, and that was that.
What does this latest shakeup mean for the turbulent Trump White House? For the moment, at least, it’s a reversal of the entropic trend—temporary, perhaps, but a reversal. Scaramucci was a chaotic force who risked a complete blow-up of the West Wing with his scorched-earth campaign against leakers and his combative style.
Since Kelly reportedly turned down an offer to serve as chief of staff in May, his decision to accept the same job two months later suggests the White House and President Trump met some of his conditions. Evidently one of them was to have control over the staff. If a Kelly-led West Wing begins to fall in line—on leaks, on backbiting, on the civil war among aides—Trump’s presidency will be helped immensely. But if Kelly begins to get the credit for turning the Trump ship around, there’s no telling what the president, always hungry for the spotlight, would do.
Trump Tweet of the Day
A great day at the White House!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2017
Looking back to my May profile of Jared Kushner, which opens with a cameo from the now-former chief of staff:
Mueller Watch—The Russian investigation plot thickened with Monday night’s Washington Post scoop that President Trump not only saw the false statement Donald Trump Jr. provided to the New York Times last month but “personally dictated” it to his son. Bill Kristol notes on Twitter that special counsel Robert Mueller will no doubt find the conversations among Trump, his communications staff, and Don Jr. “interesting.”
Here’s my question: Why is it that every new bit of information we learn about the infamous June 2016 meeting Don Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort had with a Kremlin-linked lawyer reveals some degree of misleading by the president and his associates?
A Fight to Watch—The Pentagon and the State Department, the Wall Street Journal reports, have presented President Trump with a plan to “supply Ukraine with antitank missiles and other weaponry.” Trump had not yet been briefed on the plan when the Journal first reported it on Monday. But there’s long been tension between the White House and the DoD/State duo on Ukraine and other issues. Will Trump, who was just pushed into supporting a sweeping Russia sanctions bill, want to keep antagonizing Russia for a cause he does not feel strongly about?
The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro Monday, freezing his U.S. assets in response to a “sham election” that will allow Maduro’s United Socialist Party to further consolidate its power by rewriting the national constitution. (You can read more about Maduro’s power grab from John Londregan here.)
“As a result of today’s sanctions, all assets of Maduro subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are prohibited from dealing with him,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the White House Monday afternoon. “As President Trump said earlier this month, the strong and courageous actions by the Venezuelan people to stand for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law have been continually ignored by Nicholás Maduro, who dreams of becoming a dictator.”
The move against Maduro represents the fourth round of targeted sanctions against Venezuelan officials this year and the second in July. Previous sanctions have targeted the country’s executive vice president, Supreme Court judges, and other senior officials. So far, the United States has declined to place broad sanctions on Venezuela, preferring instead to target specific members of the ruling party. Mnuchin declined to comment on whether that would change in the future, saying that Treasury “would continue to review all our options” but that “our objective is not to do anything that could hurt the people of Venezuela.”
CNN reported on Sunday that the administration had decided not to pursue a U.S. embargo on Venezuelan oil, which would have had a “completely crippling” effect on the Venezuelan economy.
Mark It Down—“Hopefully we’ll have completion by mid-November.” – Marc Short, White House director of legislative affairs, on tax reform, July 31, 2017.
2018 Watch—Republican congressman Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania is reportedly preparing for a challenge to Democratic senator Bob Casey.
Song of the Day—“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” by Billy Joel
