Trump team combative as inauguration nears
President-elect Donald Trump entered the week of his inauguration fending off questions about the legitimacy of his presidency even as he promised to unite the nation as its new leader.
Taking its cue from Trump, his administration-in-waiting came out swinging this weekend against criticism from all corners. His aides went on the attack against the Democratic Party and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s claim to the White House.
And a top aide issued a pointed warning to the head of the office of government ethics to “be careful” after he publicly called for Trump to make a cleaner break with his business interests.
Trump’s top aides pushed back hard on the notion that Trump’s presidency was somehow not legitimate — a charge that stems from the allegation that Russia meddled in the elections — Priebus calling Lewis’ charges “insanity” and “disappointing.”
“I think President Obama should step up,” Priebus told ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. “I think the administration can do a lot of good by telling folks that are on the Republican side of the aisle: Look, we may have lost the election on the Democratic side, but it’s time to come together.”
Vice President-elect Mike Pence asserted Trump’s right to “defend himself” against the suggestion he is not a legitimate president, even coming from an “icon” such as Lewis. And he criticized Lewis for refusing to attend Trump’s inauguration.
The combative stance comes five days before Trump will take the oath of office and address a bitterly divided nation.
“For many years our country has been divided, angry and untrusting. Many say it will never change, the hatred is too deep. IT WILL CHANGE !!!! ” Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, Trump was widely criticized for responding to Lewis in tweets, claiming that the Georgia congressman was “all talk” and “no action, no results.”
Lawmakers in both parties pointed to the arrests and physical beatings Lewis withstood as a leader in the civil rights movement as evidence to the contrary.
The incident, which came at the start of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, may only serve to deepen the distrust of Trump among African-Americans. National exit polling from the election found that 91 percent of black voters viewed Trump unfavorably.
Trump also poured salt on old wounds for Democrats who argue that his long history of doubting President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship was a racist effort to delegitimize the first black president.
Transition officials deflected questions about Trump’s yearslong refusal to accept that Obama is a citizen, calling it “old news.”
Priebus said questions about Obama’s birth have “been resolved for at least two years in Donald Trump’s mind” and distinguished between questioning Obama’s citizenship and accepting the results of the election.
Stephanopoulos corrected Priebus, noting that Trump continued to raise questions about Obama’s eligibility well into his own presidential campaign.
“That’s not the point. The point is not where Barack Obama was born,” Priebus said.
Priebus took a similarly bellicose stance against Walter Shaub, the director of the obscure Office of Government Ethics.
Shaub has criticized Trump’s transition for rushing his nominees’ ethics reviews and he called on Trump to divest from his business assets to avoid conflicts.
The comments prompted Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, to call for Shaub to testify before Congress.
“The head of the government ethics ought to be careful because that person is becoming extremely political,” Priebus said on ABC. “Apparently, (Shaub) may have ... publicly supported Hillary Clinton ... So I’m not sure what this person at government ethics, what sort of standing he has any more in giving these opinions.”
“Why is Congressman Chaffetz investigating Walter Shaub for doing his job, George, for speaking so courageously?” Norm Eisen, a former Obama ethics czar, said on ABC. Eisen called Priebus’ comments “shocking, mafia-style THUGGERY” on Twitter.