Trump picks aTTOrNEY gEN, uN ENvOY iN sTaff shakE-up
William Barr would replace Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who has been in that position since Trump forced out Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
In another senior staff shake-up inside his often turbulent administration, US President Donald Trump said on Friday he has picked the two people he wants to be the next US attorney general and the next US ambassador to the United Nations.
He said he will nominate William Barr, who was attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush in the 1990s, to fill that top job again at the US Justice Department. Barr would replace Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who has been in that position since Trump forced out Jeff Sessions as attorney general a month ago. Trump said he will put forward State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as ambassador to the United Nations. Nauert, a former Fox News Channel host, would replace Nikki Haley, who said in October she would resign at the end of this year. Both are likely to face tough questions at their Senate confirmation hearings. Democrats called Nauert unqualified and said they were concerned about Barr’s independence. Republicans said they were pleased with both nominees. Trump also said he would make a personnel announcement concerning the Pentagon on Saturday, telling reporters outside the White House, “It will have to do with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the succession.” Trump was expected to name the Army’s top general, Mark Milley, as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the country’s top military position, said US officials. Separately, two sources told Reuters that John Kelly is expected to resign in coming days as White House chief of staff after months of speculation. The proposed changes come as the Republican president faces another difficult stretch. Democrats are prom- ising aggressive oversight of Trump’s administration and business activities when they take control of the US House of Representatives in January following their gains in last month’s elections. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is continuing to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, any collusion between Moscow and Trump’s campaign and possible obstruction of justice. More details of the inquiry were set to emerge in court filings on Friday. Barr, who was attorney general under Bush from 1991 to 1993 and has worked in the private sector since then, would oversee Mueller’s probe if the Senate confirms him in the job again.
He is likely to face pressure at his confirmation hearings to show he would protect Mueller from political interference. Critics of Trump have long been concerned that the president wants to end the Mueller probe. Republicans, who control the Senate, said Barr was well qualified. Senator Chuck Grassley called him a “talented, wellrespected lawyer.”
“There is no one more capable or qualified for this role,” Trump said at a lawenforcement conference in Kansas City. Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the Mueller investigation as a “witch hunt,” denies any collusion with Russia or any obstruction of justice. Russia denies US intelligence agencies’ findings that it meddled in the 2016 election campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trump’s favor. Barr also may face scrutiny about past comments questioning the political affiliations of Mueller’s team and supporting Trump’s decision last year to fire FBI Director James Comey.
“Given President Trump’s demonstrated lack of regard for the rule of law and the independence of the American justice system, his nominee for attorney general will have a steep hill to climb,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Six people, including five young teenagers, were crushed to death in the early hours of Saturday following a stampede at a packed nightclub near Ancona on Italy’s Adriatic coast, officials said.
The deaths occurred when a walkway leading out of the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub in the town of Corinaldo collapsed, causing dozens of people to fall into a trench below.
Three girls, two boys and a mother who had accompanied her child to the event died in the crush. Police said the teenagers were aged between 14 and 16, while the dead woman was 39. More than 100 other people were injured, 13 of them seriously, officials said.
The local fire brigade said someone might have sprayed a substance like pepper spray into the crowd, triggering a panicked rush to the emergency exits.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who also serves as interior minister, said early indications suggested there were many more people than permitted inside the club, where popular Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta had been due to perform. “People cannot die like this,” Salvini said in a statement. “We will find those responsible for these six broken lives, those who out of malice, stupidity or greed have turned a party night into a tragedy,” he added.