Trump scopes out candidates for security, diplomacy posts
President-elect sets out ‘Thank You’ tour aimed at swing states
MADISON, WIS. A federal judge on Friday denied an emergency halt to the recount of the presidential vote in Wisconsin, allowing the process to continue until a Dec. 9 court hearing at least.
There is no need to halt the recount just yet because it will not do any immediate harm to Republican President-elect Donald Trump or his supporters, U.S. District Judge James Peterson wrote in a three-page order that called for both sides in the case to lay out written arguments before he takes any action.
The challenge was brought in federal court in Madison by the Great America PAC, Stop Hillary PAC and a Wisconsin voter.
The recount began Thursday after Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein paid $3.5 million to force the state to retally nearly 3 million presidential votes across Wisconsin. Metropolitan Transit Authority, told a House hearing Friday he has hired two independent prosecutors to determine whether inspection reports were falsified. He declined to comment further because the probe is ongoing.
But members of the House Oversight subcommittees on transportation and government operations said the incident illustrated the danger and unreliability of the country’s second-largest transit system.
“What we have here is a systemic failure to address real problems,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. GATLINBURG, TENN. The death toll climbed to 13 Friday as local, state and federal officials fended off criticism of their handling of a massive wildfire that stormed through this resort town and surrounding communities this week.
Critics have raised questions about what local authorities knew about the real danger of the fire and when officials alerted residents and visitors to flee as it raced toward town. Although an emergency management system sent out an alert, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said that alert never went to all local mobile devices because of constraints of the system. WASHINGTON Coming off his first public appearance since Election Day — a campaign-style rally in the swing state of Ohio — President-elect Donald Trump began a low-key weekend Friday by assessing high-profile security and diplomatic jobs.
“The president-elect believes it’s important for both military and civilian leaders working in national security to deliver the facts so their policy makers can make the best possible decisions,” transition spokesman Jason Miller said as job applicants and advisers streamed into Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.
Amid a very public search for secretary of State — a contest that includes names such as Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Bob Corker and David Petraeus — Trump and aides confirmed that on Monday he will officially nominate retired Marine Corps general James Mattis as Defense secretary.
During a post-election rally Thursday in Cincinnati, Trump stressed Mattis’ nickname — “Mad Dog” — and told the crowd that “they say he is the closest thing to General George Patton that we have and it’s about time, it’s about time.”
The Ohio appearance kicked off a “Thank You Tour” in which Trump plans to visit swing states that gave him a surprise victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
In addition to thanking voters, Trump taunted political rivals and critics in the media who doubted his ability to put together the 270-plus Electoral College votes necessary to win.
“Folks, how many times did we hear this: ‘There is no path to 270,’” Trump said.
Future stops on Trump’s tour include North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Federal law requires military personnel to be in retirement for at least seven years before taking the civilian job of Defense secretary. That means Mattis, who retired in 2013, will need a waiver from Congress as part of the confirmation process. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said that while she respects Mattis’ service, she will oppose a waiver because “civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, supports the waiver, however, and Republicans control the Senate.
Also Friday, Trump announced the “President’s Strategic and Policy Forum,” a group of 16 business leaders — from companies such as Walmart, JPMorgan and Disney — who will meet with him “frequently” to advise on his plan to “bring back jobs.”
Trump is also continuing a series of calls with foreign leaders.
Officials in the Philippines said that Trump spoke Friday with President Rodrigo Duterte — who clashed repeatedly with President Obama — and invited him to visit the White House next year. Duterte, meanwhile, invited Trump to attend the summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations to be held in the Philippines.
On the domestic front, Trump’s transition meetings Friday included one prominent Democrat: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.
Heitkamp, who has been mentioned as a possibility for Cabinet slots like Agriculture and Energy, is the third Democrat that Trump has brought in for meetings. He has spoken previously with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Another Democrat, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, is also being discussed for the Cabinet but has not met with Trump.
Trump was to meet Friday with Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., retired admiral Jay Cohen, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and economic adviser David Malpass.
Also on Friday’s schedule: former Defense secretary Robert Gates, a critic of Trump during the campaign who has suggested that the president-elect is considering too many military people for civilian jobs.
Trump was also expected to meet with former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, who has been mentioned for the State Department. Other candidates include Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee; Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City; Petraeus, a retired general; and Corker, a Tennessee senator.