DOCSLIB.ORG

Imp Cadier Neron a La Maison Blanche.Indd

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Imp Cadier Neron a La Maison Blanche.Indd iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 1 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 2 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 NÉRON À LA MAISON BLANCHE iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 3 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 4 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 JEAN-BERNARD CADIER NÉRON À LA MAISON BLANCHE iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 5 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 Notre catalogue est consultable à l’adresse suivante : www.editionsarchipel.com Éditions de l’Archipel 34, rue des Bourdonnais 75001 Paris ISBN 978-2-8098-2655-5 Copyright © L’Archipel, 2019. iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 6 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 Prologue Mardi 2 janvier 2018, 19 h 49, tweet de Donald Trump : Moi aussi j’ai un Bouton nucléaire, il est beaucoup plus gros et plus puissant que le sien, et mon Bouton marche ! Rien n’arrête le quarante-cinquième président des États-Unis. Faut-il rire de ce bouffon qui s’enorgueillit de la taille de son « Bouton nucléaire », rehaussé d’une majuscule, comme il avait vanté la taille de sa virilité dans un débat télévisé de sa campagne ? Ou pleurer ce degré zéro de la diplomatie, avec ses risques associés, face à la Corée du Nord ? Des guerres ont commencé pour moins que ça. Et celle-là serait nucléaire. Ce soir-là, Donald Trump est de nouveau seul, comme souvent, devant son poste de télévision, de retour de douze jours au soleil dans son palais de Mar-a-Lago, en Floride. Sa femme et leur fils ont déjà repris leur routine à l’autre bout de la résidence. Et lui la sienne, devant ses écrans. Son tweet répond à ce qu’il vient d’entendre sur Fox News, à 19 h 37 : « Corée du Nord. Kim Jong-un a déclaré dans son message de Nouvel An que l’en- semble du territoire américain était désormais à portée d’une attaque nucléaire nord-coréenne et qu’il avait un bouton nucléaire en permanence sur son bureau. » 7 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 7 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 NÉRON À LA MAISON BLANCHE Fox News, la chaîne qui lui fait du bien. Celle qui ne critique que rarement son action. Mais ce qu’il vient d’entendre le pique au vif. En douze minutes, son tweet vengeur est envoyé. Donald Trump, c’est le gouvernement de la télévision, par la télévision, pour la télévision. Faut-il redouter ce président qui joue avec l’idée du feu nucléaire comme Néron jouait de la lyre tandis que Rome brûlait ? L’homme à la mèche blonde rappelle parfois l’em- pereur extravagant et tyrannique. Dans la Trump Tower, à Manhattan, tout est doré et démesuré. Comme dans la somptueuse Domus Aurea (« maison dorée ») que Néron s’était fait construire sur les collines de Rome. Avec d’im- menses statues de lui. De même, les portraits de Trump sont omniprésents dans sa résidence de Mar-a-Lago. « Tyran vaniteux et grotesque », tel que défi ni par l’his- torien Victor Duruy1, Néron organisait les Jeux néroniens, où il se faisait décerner le prix d’éloquence et de poésie. Les Jeux trumpiens ne se déroulent-ils pas sur Twitter, pour celui qui clame : « Je suis l’Ernest Hemingway des 140 signes » ? Peu d’empereurs ont été aussi populaires après coup que l’odieux Néron. Sa tombe sera longtemps fl eurie. Pour Montesquieu, il fait partie de ces empereurs « regrettés du peuple à cause de leur folie même : car ils aimaient avec fureur ce que le peuple aimait2 ». Un certain peuple amé- ricain aime la folie de Donald Trump, ce président impar- fait, comme lui, qui parle comme lui, inconsistant, chauvin, menteur et hâbleur. Et qui raff ole des cheeseburgers. 1. Victor Duruy, Histoire des Romains, 1885. 2. Montesquieu, Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence, 1734. 8 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 8 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 PROLOGUE Après deux ans à la Maison Blanche, ce peuple-là ne l’a pas lâché. Sa cote de popularité ne dépasse guère les 40 %, mais, fait sans précédent, elle n’a pas baissé depuis son élection. Jamais, depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale, un président n’avait joui d’une popularité aussi stable. Basse, mais stable. Et il a accru son emprise dans son propre camp. Ses fans étaient à la droite de la droite, il gagne aujourd’hui du terrain au centre-droit. Donald Trump est le président le plus populaire de l’Histoire chez les électeurs répu- blicains – à la seule exception de George W. Bush dans les semaines qui suivirent le 11 Septembre. Incontesté dans son camp, il devrait aff ronter les primaires républi- caines de 2020 sans rival. Au même point de leur premier mandat, Ronald Reagan et Bill Clinton jouissaient de la même cote de popularité que lui. Tous deux ont été réélus. Donald Trump pourrait, lui aussi, être reconduit pour un second mandat. Je me suis beaucoup trompé sur Donald Trump et cela m’a beaucoup contrarié. J’ai suffi samment de « bou- teille » pour ne l’avoir jamais dit à l’antenne de BFMTV, mais j’étais persuadé, comme tout le monde, qu’il serait battu par Hillary Clinton. Comme j’étais persuadé qu’il ne gagnerait pas les primaires. Et que son élection – je l’ai dit à l’antenne – provoquerait un eff ondrement des marchés. Après plus de quinze ans dans ce pays et cinq campagnes présidentielles, j’étais pourtant censé bien connaître la politique américaine… En mai et juin 2016, juste avant la présidentielle, j’ai rencontré des dizaines d’Américains de tous bords en tra- versant les États-Unis avec mon épouse par la route du Sud. Alabama, Texas, Arizona… Nous étions partis à la 9 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 9 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 NÉRON À LA MAISON BLANCHE découverte de l’Amérique de Trump, cette Amérique rurale souvent négligée. Arrivés à Los Angeles, la conclu- sion de notre petit blog était que Donald Trump pouvait l’emporter. Puis, de retour à New York, j’ai repris la routine – CNN, New York Times, Twitter, les amis et confrères… Je me suis dit que j’avais rêvé : Hillary ne pouvait pas perdre. Depuis, je m’astreins régulièrement à quitter la « bulle ». À regarder Fox News et écouter quotidienne- ment Rush Limbaugh, l’ultraconservateur qui rugit tous les jours à la radio. À revoir mes amis trumpistes et prendre ma voiture pour, à une heure et demie de Washington, tendre micro et caméra à l’autre Amérique. Pour tenter de comprendre ce mystère. Pourquoi, malgré tous ses travers, Donald Trump ne s’est-il pas eff ondré ? Le but de ce livre est de répondre à cette question en tentant de dresser un bilan, deux ans après son arrivée au pouvoir. Pour les journalistes, « couvrir » Donald Trump pré- sente deux diffi cultés particulières. La première est de ne pas se contenter de dénoncer ses mensonges ; la seconde, de ne pas le laisser détourner notre attention. Gros menteur in chief, Donald Trump a érigé la contrevérité en système. Ses supporters le savent. Ils le savaient avant et ont choisi de voter pour lui malgré tout. Au comble du cynisme, il avait dit : « Même si je tirais sur les gens sur la 5e Avenue, je ne perdrais pas un seul électeur. » Cela semblait vrai en 2016 et l’est encore aujourd’hui. Les médias américains ont commencé à établir des listes sans fi n de ses contrevé- rités – 8 158 mensonges en deux ans selon le Washington Post –, puis ils ont commencé à se lasser. Second écueil : se laisser détourner de l’essentiel, à savoir présenter honnêtement les deux points de vue. Avec ses tweets dès l’aurore, Donald Trump est passé maître dans l’art de détourner l’attention. Il n’a pas inventé les réseaux 10 iimp_cadiermp_cadier neronneron a lala maisonmaison blanche.inddblanche.indd 1010 009/05/20199/05/2019 15:4215:42 PROLOGUE sociaux, mais il en joue à merveille. Tout dans l’excès et l’immédiateté. Pas le temps de réfl échir, d’analyser les diff érents angles de la réforme en cours ou d’un débat au Congrès. Trump souff re d’un grave trouble du défi cit d’attention. Il nous a communiqué le virus. Derrière les breaking news à jet continu, notre eff ort doit consister à discerner les étapes marquantes de la présidence Trump. Le 4 octobre 2018 à Washington, on ne parle que des accusations d’agression sexuelle portées contre le juge can- didat à la Cour suprême, Brett Kavanaugh. Elles seront vite oubliées. Personne ne prête attention, le même jour, au discours du vice-président Mike Pence, véritable décla- ration de guerre froide à la Chine, aux conséquences potentielles incalculables. Deux mois et demi plus tard, le 21 décembre 2018, il n’est question que du shutdown, énième épisode de cette comédie qui consiste à fermer puis rouvrir quelques admi- nistrations, faute d’accord sur le budget fédéral. On note à peine que Donald Trump signe ce jour-là une réforme de la justice carcérale, vraie avancée pour des centaines de milliers d’Américains. Les Américains ont rendu un verdict mitigé en novembre 2018, en permettant à l’opposition démo- crate de conquérir la Chambre des représentants, mais à Trump de garder le Sénat.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Trump and Trade Updates – April 2017
    Trump and Trade Updates – April 2017 Commerce Moves to Review China’s “Nonmarket Economy” Status 4/3/17 – The Trump administration on April 3, 2017 issued a notice of initiation and request for public comment and information pertaining to whether the People’s Republic of China (PRC) should continue to be treated as a nonmarket economy (NME) country under the antidumping and countervailing duty laws. The notice in the Federal Register indicates that this inquiry is part of the Department of Commerce’s less-than-fair-value investigation of certain aluminum foil from the PRC. The notice states that the Department of Commerce has treated the PRC as an NME country in all past antidumping duty investigations and administrative reviews. Yet, under the agreement with the PRC regarding its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the PRC believes that WTO members were required to begin treating it as a market economy in December 2016. The department is conducting this inquiry in order to obtain the most recent data and information available from U.S. industry, and the notice states that U.S. law allows it to review the PRC's nonmarket economy status "at any time." The timing of this notice is interesting, given that Chinese President Xi Jinping is traveling to the United States for talks later this week. Draft Notice to Congress Indicates Intent to Begin Renegotiating NAFTA 4/3/17 – In a draft letter to the Senate and House of Representatives, the Trump administration appeared closer to formally announcing and notifying Congress of its intent to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
    [Show full text]
  • June 2018 June 3Rd, 2018 19 Men and 6 Women NBC's Meet the Press
    June 2018 June 3rd, 2018 19 men and 6 women NBC's Meet the Press with Chuck Todd: 5 men and 1 woman Frm. Mayor Rudy Giuliani (M) PM Justin Trudeau (M) Joshua Johnson (M) Peggy Noonan (W) Rich Lowry (M) Ben Rhodes (M) CBS's Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan: 5 men and 2 women Gov. John Kasich (M) Rep. Will Hurd (M) Frm. Amb. Robert Gallucci (M) Dr. Jung Pak (W) David Nakamura (M) Susan Page (W) Michael Crowley (M) ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos: 5 men and 2 women Frm. Mayor Rudy Giuliani (M) Frm. Amb. Bill Richardson (M) Tom Bossert (M) Sue Mi Terry (W) Frm. Speaker Newt Gingrich (M) Karen Finney (W) Patrick Gaspard (M) CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper: *With Guest Host Dana Bash 1 man and 1 woman Rep. Kevin McCarthy (M) Minister Chrystia Freeland (W) Fox News' Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: 3 men and 0 women Corey Lewandowski (M) Guy Benson (M) Larry Kudlow (M) June 10th, 2018 13 men and 6 women NBC's Meet the Press with Chuck Todd: No Data Available CBS's Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan: 4 men and 4 women Frm. Amb. Susan Rice (W) Dir. Larry Kudlow (M) Sen. Edward Markey (M) Evan Osnos (M) Seung Min Kim (W) Selena Zito (W) Molly Ball (W) Kenneth Starr (M) ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos: 1 man and 0 women Jonathan Cheng (M) CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper: 1 man and 2 women Dir.
    [Show full text]
  • Officials Say Flynn Discussed Sanctions
    Officials say Flynn discussed sanctions The Washington Post February 10, 2017 Friday, Met 2 Edition Copyright 2017 The Washington Post All Rights Reserved Distribution: Every Zone Section: A-SECTION; Pg. A08 Length: 1971 words Byline: Greg Miller;Adam Entous;Ellen Nakashima Body Talks with Russia envoy said to have occurred before Trump took office National security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country's ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said. Flynn's communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were interpreted by some senior U.S. officials as an inappropriate and potentially illegal signal to the Kremlin that it could expect a reprieve from sanctions that were being imposed by the Obama administration in late December to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 election. Flynn on Wednesday denied that he had discussed sanctions with Kislyak. Asked in an interview whether he had ever done so, he twice said, "No." On Thursday, Flynn, through his spokesman, backed away from the denial. The spokesman said Flynn "indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn't be certain that the topic never came up." Officials said this week that the FBI is continuing to examine Flynn's communications with Kislyak. Several officials emphasized that while sanctions were discussed, they did not see evidence that Flynn had an intent to convey an explicit promise to take action after the inauguration. Flynn's contacts with the ambassador attracted attention within the Obama administration because of the timing.
    [Show full text]
  • The Confusion Surrounding the FBI's Renewed Investigation of Brett Kavanaugh; New Free Trade Deal with U.S
    The Confusion Surrounding The FBI's Renewed Investigation of Brett Kavanaugh; New Free Trade Deal With U.S. Will See Canada's Duty-Free Limit Raised To $150 From $20; A Year After Vegas Shooting; Trump Versus The Media; Libertarian Joins Race To Represent Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania In Congress International Wire October 2, 2018 Tuesday Copyright 2018 ProQuest Information and Learning All Rights Reserved Copyright 2018 ASC Services II Media, LLC Length: 7640 words Dateline: Lanham Body FULL TEXT LOU DOBBS, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST: Thanks for being with us. Good night from New York. LISA KENNEDY MONTGOMERY, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST: The Senate's top Republican has a warning for Democrats. Quit delaying, obstructing, and resisting the confirmation vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. And it comes amid a new poll showing more Americans think that Supreme Court nominee is the target of a politically motivated smear campaign. Now, as you know, the FBI is currently investigating claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted several women back in the 1980s. Among them Dr. Christine Blasey Ford who testified against him last week. She says she's a hundred percent sure Kavanaugh drunkenly attacked her in high school. Kavanaugh of course denies everything. And moments ago President Trump defended his nominee at a rally in T-E-N-N-E-S-S-E-E, Tennessee. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats are willing to do anything and to hurt anyone to get their way like they're doing with Judge Kavanaugh. They've been trying to destroy him since the very first second he was announced because they know that Judge Kavanaugh will follow the constitution as written.
    [Show full text]
  • The United States District Court for the District of Columbia
    THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC. and ABILIO JAMES ACOSTA, Plaintiffs, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States; JOHN F. KELLY, in his official capacity as Chief of Staff to the President of the United States; WILLIAM SHINE, in his official capacity as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Case No. President of the United States; SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, in her official capacity as Press Secretary to the President of the United States; the UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE; RANDOLPH D. ALLES, in his official capacity as Director of the United States Secret Service; and JOHN DOE, Secret Service Agent, Defendants. DECLARATION OF THEODORE J. BOUTROUS, JR. IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION I, THEODORE J. BOUTROUS, JR., hereby declare under penalty of perjury the following: 1. My name is Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr. I am a partner with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and a member of the bar of this Court. I represent Plaintiffs Cable News Network, Inc. (“CNN”) and Abilio James Acosta (“Jim Acosta”) in the above-captioned action. By virtue of my direct involvement in this matter, I have personal knowledge of the content of this declaration, and I could and would competently testify to the truth of the matters stated herein. 2. Attached as Exhibit 1 is a true and correct copy of an article by Brian Stelter of CNN entitled “Donald Trump: I won’t kick reporters out of White House press briefing room,” dated June 14, 2016, available at https://money.cnn.com/2016/06/14/media/donald-trump-press- credentials-access/index.html.
    [Show full text]
  • The People Shaping the Trump Administration
    The People Shaping the Trump Administration Despite Running on a Pledge to ‘Drain the Swamp’ and Crack Down on Special Interests, Donald Trump Has Filled His Transition Team With Lobbyists and Others With Potential Conflicts November 16, 2016 – Donald Trump rode to the White House by raging about alleged rampant corruption in Washington and pledging to “drain the swamp.” Each of the five points in the ethics platform he issued in October focused on diminishing the influence of lobbyists.1 These included a promise to impose a five-year ban on former executive branch officials lobbying the federal government. Trump further promised to crack down on special interest-influence by expanding the definition of lobbyist to include consultants and others who trade on inside government information and expertise.2 But Trump’s nascent transition team, which will shape his administration, is swarming with lobbyists and other special interests. Many of the lobbyists are working for the transition on areas for which they currently are lobbying the federal government. Meanwhile, many of those who aren’t lobbyists appear to have potential conflicts of interest. Vice president-elect Mike Pence reportedly said on November 15 that the transition team would be purged of lobbyists, but the transition team has not made the point official.3 Even if true, that remedy would not address cases such as a defense contractor working on defense interests, or a lawyer for health care interests working on health care reform. Here are brief summaries of individuals who have been reported in the media as overseeing agencies or policies for Trump’s transition team.
    [Show full text]
  • FOIA) Document Clearinghouse in the World
    This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of: The Black Vault The Black Vault is the largest online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearinghouse in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the Truth at: http://www.theblackvault.com Received Received Request ID Requester Name Organization Closed Date Final Disposition Request Description Mode Date 17-F-0001 Greenewald, John The Black Vault PAL 10/3/2016 11/4/2016 Granted/Denied in Part I respectfully request a copy of records, electronic or otherwise, of all contracts past and present, that the DOD / OSD / JS has had with the British PR firm Bell Pottinger. Bell Pottinger Private (legally BPP Communications Ltd.; informally Bell Pottinger) is a British multinational public relations and marketing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. 17-F-0002 Palma, Bethania - PAL 10/3/2016 11/4/2016 Other Reasons - No Records Contracts with Bell Pottinger for information operations and psychological operations. (Date Range for Record Search: From 01/01/2007 To 12/31/2011) 17-F-0003 Greenewald, John The Black Vault Mail 10/3/2016 1/13/2017 Other Reasons - Not a proper FOIA I respectfully request a copy of the Intellipedia category index page for the following category: request for some other reason Nuclear Weapons Glossary 17-F-0004 Jackson, Brian - Mail 10/3/2016 - - I request a copy of any available documents related to Army Intelligence's participation in an FBI counterintelligence source operation beginning in about 1959, per David Wise book, "Cassidy's Run," under the following code names: ZYRKSEEZ SHOCKER I am also interested in obtaining Army Intelligence documents authorizing, as well as policy documents guiding, the use of an Army source in an FBI operation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Newsletter for Conservative Republicans DESANTIS, SCOTT
    A Newsletter for Conservative Republicans FLYING HIGH…AND DIGGING AND BORING TO KEEP BREVARD COUNTY RED AND GET CONSERVATIVES ELECTED Editor and Publisher: Stuart Gorin Designer and Assistant Publisher: Frank Montelione Number 105 August 2018 DESANTIS, SCOTT, OTHERS WIN FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: By Space Coast Tusk Editor Stuart Gorin MY TWO CENTS By Stuart Gorin The August 28 Primary Election in Florida gave victories to I was flabbergasted when I learned that Congressman Ron DeSantis, Governor Rick Scott and a during a discussion with the media on host of other Republican candidates, all of whom will face border security, House Minority Leader Democrat challengers in the November 6 mid-term general Nancy Pelosi downgraded the 9/11 election. terrorist attacks as an “incident.” Incident? Since most of the Republican primaries were contested, the Hey, Baltimore-born Congressperson, the loss of 2,977 victims on planes and in buildings was a national tragedy. Editor remained neutral, but now that the primary is over, the -0- Space Coast Tusk strongly endorses all of our winners. It must be something in the Left Coast water. We also have learned that in a bizarre speech at a California church, Congresswoman Maxine “Slapsy Maxie” Waters said she had been sent by God to stop President Trump, because rather than making America great again, he was intent on “taking America down.” Was her election “an incident” as well? -0- Three cheers to the Beef O’Brady’s restaurant in Brooksville, Florida! Because of the disrespect shown to the flag and national anthem at NFL football games, the restaurant has cancelled its DIRECTV Sunday Ticket Package to show games at each booth, which will save more than $5,000 – AND it will use that money According to Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori instead to give a 40 percent discount to veterans on Sundays during Scott and her team, voter turnout in the primary – including the NFL season.
    [Show full text]
  • Presidential Administration Under Trump Daniel A
    Presidential Administration Under Trump Daniel A. Farber1 Anne Joseph O’Connell2 I. Introduction [I would widen the Introduction: focusing on the problem of what kind of president Donald Trump is and what the implications are. The descriptive and normative angles do not seem to have easy answers. There is a considerable literature in political science and law on positive/descriptive theories of the president. Kagan provides just one, but an important one. And there is much ink spilled on the legal dimensions. I propose that after flagging the issue, the Introduction would provide some key aspects of Trump as president, maybe even through a few bullet points conveying examples, raise key normative questions, and then lay out a roadmap for the article. One thing to address is what ways we think Trump is unique for a study of the President and for the study of Administrative Law, if at all.] [We should draft this after we have other sections done.] Though the Presidency has been a perennial topic in the legal literature, Justice Elena Kagan, in her earlier career as an academic, penned an enormously influential 2001 article about the increasingly dominant role of the President in regulation, at the expense of the autonomy of administrative agencies.3 The article’s thesis, simply stated, was that “[w]e live in an era of presidential administration.”, by 1 Sho Sato Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. 2 George Johnson Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. 3 Elena Kagan, Presidential Administration, 114 HARV. L. REV. 2245 (2001).
    [Show full text]
  • United States District Court for the District of Columbia
    UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BRIAN J. KAREM, : : Plaintiff, : Civil Action No.: 19-2514 : v. : Re Document No.: 2 : DONALD J. TRUMP and : STEPHANIE A. GRISHAM, : : Defendants. : MEMORANDUM OPINION GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION I. INTRODUCTION For decades, and across many presidential administrations, the White House has made long-term press passes available to any Washington-based journalist who regularly covers the President and can clear a Secret Service background check. In light of that decision to make White House press facilities widely accessible, the D.C. Circuit has held that reporters have a First Amendment liberty interest in possessing a long-term so-called “hard pass”—an interest that, under the Fifth Amendment, may not be deprived without due process. See Sherrill v. Knight, 569 F.2d 124 (D.C. Cir. 1977). This case involves an alleged violation of that due process right. Plaintiff Brian Karem, a White House correspondent for Playboy magazine, claims that White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham unlawfully suspended his hard pass as a punishment following his involvement in a brief verbal altercation in the Rose Garden that was captured on video and shared widely on the internet. As the Court will explain below, Karem has, at this early stage of the proceedings, shown that he is likely to succeed on this due process claim, because the present record indicates that Grisham failed to provide fair notice of the fact that a hard pass could be suspended under these circumstances. Meanwhile, Karem has shown that even the temporary suspension of his pass inflicts irreparable harm on his First Amendment rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Corporate and Foreign Interests Behind White House Push to Transfer U.S
    Corporate and Foreign Interests Behind White House Push to Transfer U.S. Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia Prepared for Chairman Elijah E. Cummings Second Interim Staff Report Committee on Oversight and Reform U.S. House of Representatives July 2019 oversight.house.gov EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On February 19, 2019, the Committee on Oversight and Reform issued an interim staff report prepared for Chairman Elijah E. Cummings after multiple whistleblowers came forward to warn about efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. As explained in the first interim staff report, under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, the United States may not transfer nuclear technology to a foreign country without the approval of Congress in order to ensure that the agreement meets nine nonproliferation requirements to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. These agreements, commonly known as “123 Agreements,” are typically negotiated with career experts at the National Security Council (NSC) and the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy. The “Gold Standard” for 123 Agreements is a commitment by the foreign country not to enrich or re-process nuclear fuel and not to engage in activities linked to the risk of nuclear proliferation. During the Obama Administration, Saudi Arabia refused to agree to the Gold Standard. During the Trump Administration, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) went further, proclaiming: “Without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.” There is strong bipartisan opposition to abandoning the “Gold Standard” for Saudi Arabia in any future 123 Agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Full What Happened Collection [PDF]
    American Compass December 2020 WHAT HAPPENED THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY IN REVIEW AMERICAN COMPASS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, launched in May 2020 with a mission to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity— REORIENTING POLITICAL FOCUS from growth for its own sake to widely shared economic development that sustains vital social institutions; SETTING A COURSE for a country in which families can achieve self-sufficiency, contribute productively to their communities, and prepare the next generation for the same; and HELPING POLICYMAKERS NAVIGATE the limitations that markets and government each face in promoting the general welfare and the nation’s security. www.americancompass.org [email protected] What Happened: The Trump Presidency in Review Table of Contents FOREWORD: THE WORK REMAINS President Trump told many important truths, but one also has to act by Daniel McCarthy 1 INTRODUCTION 4 TOO FEW OF THE PRESIDENT’S MEN An iconoclast’s administration will struggle to find personnel both experienced and aligned by Rachel Bovard 5 A POPULISM DEFERRED Trump’s transitional presidency lacked the vision and agenda necessary to let go of GOP orthodoxy by Julius Krein 11 THE POTPOURRI PRESIDENCY A decentralized and conflicted administration was uniquely inconsistent in its policy actions by Wells King 17 SOME LIKE IT HOT Unsustainable economic stimulus at an expansion’s peak, not tax cuts or tariffs, fueled the Trump boom by Oren Cass 23 Copyright © 2020 by American Compass, Inc. Electronic versions of these articles with hyperlinked references are available at www.americancompass.org.
    [Show full text]