"...current advisers have described a daily struggle to keep Mr. Trump from giving in to his impulse to listen to those who are telling him what he wants to hear." nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
"Mr. Barr, whose last day in the job is Wednesday, has told associates he had been alarmed by Mr. Trump’s behavior in recent weeks. Other advisers have privately said they feel worn out and are looking forward to the end of the term." @nytmike and me nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
The president's son-in-law "has responded to people seeking his help with Mr. Trump by saying that the president is his children’s grandfather, implying there are limits to what he can do to help." nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
Most advisers are eager for the president to depart this afternoon for MAL and some are fearful he'll cancel at the last minute nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
As @jonathanvswan reported, Trump is complaining about Pence, Meadows, the White House counsel. He's complained he needs a Roy Cohn-like figure as WHCO. Meadows has left different ppl w different impressions about where he stands nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
Some Rs have gotten it in the president's head that Pence could do a lot to sway things during the ratification of the race in congress, something that isn't realistically possible nytimes.com/2020/12/23/us/…
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On House GOP conference call taking place right now, @GOPLeader said he spoke to POTUS and POTUS hasn't committed to a veto of the stimulus bill yet. Still deciding.
McCarthy, per person on the call, said that Rs need to address the president's concerns and keep parts of the bill they think are good, but that POTUS hasn't committed either way.
“This bill has been tainted,” McCarthy said per person on call.
SCOOP - Sidney Powell was in Oval Office last night as POTUS discussed making her special counsel for election fraud. @KannoYoungs and me nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
Among those pushing back on the idea was Pat Cipollone, Meadows and even Giuliani. But Giuliani separately pushed DHS this week to seize control of voting machines to examine them for possible fraud. DHS said it has no authority to do that. nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
The meeting got raucous, with various administration members drifting in and out and different people arguing. Powell told others they were quitters, people people briefed on the meeting nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/…
NEWS w @ShaneGoldmacher - Trump has raised more than $60 mill and Lara Trump and Pence's nephew were early incorporators and on board of AMMC, the entity that much Trump $ was funneled through nytimes.com/2020/12/18/us/…
Both Lara Trump and John Pence stepped down from the board of AMMC in October 2019. When @ShaneGoldmacher and I asked about another Trump family member possibly being on the board wks ago, a campaign aide said no Trump family members were on the board. True but misleading
Parscale told @ShaneGoldmacher and me months ago that spending he did on campaign was done with knowledge of Trump family. Our new reporting on the Trump/Pence family members involvement in AMMC bolsters that nytimes.com/live/2020/12/1…
Some of the president's advisers had been urging him to let transition begin before Thanksgiving or soon after, even if he never said the word "concede."
While Giuliani was key in stoking Trump's conspiracy theories, Trump loss in PA suit made him realize Giuliani was not painting honest picture, per people briefed on what's taken place.
"The few people who have tried to intervene and tell him that it is time to let Mr. Biden begin a transition have been shut down by Mr. Trump." nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/…
Of note, the Oval Office is normally a place aides would clamor to spend time in. These days, almost everyone is avoiding going in, either to avoid getting yelled at or to avoid getting asked their opinion nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/…