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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 21 october 2019
Mulvaney's missteps draw scrutiny from Trump allies

By ZEKE MILLER, JILL COLVIN the comments in an inter-
and JONATHAN LEMIRE view Sunday with ABC's
Associated Press "This Week."
WASHINGTON (AP) — For "I will leave to the chief of
Mick Mulvaney, the hits just staff to explain what it is he
keep on coming. said and what he intend-
First, President Donald ed," Pompeo said.
Trump's acting chief of staff Mulvaney is not aware of
stirred up a tempest by any effort to replace him,
acknowledging that the according to a person
administration had held close to him who spoke
up aid to Ukraine in part to on condition of anonymity
prod that country to inves- to discuss internal conver-
tigate Democrats and the sations. The president has
2016 elections. also expressed his support
Then Mulvaney went on for Mulvaney to the act-
television Sunday to de- ing chief of staff's team,
fend his boss in effusive the person said. Press sec-
terms — and ended up retary Stephanie Grisham
making a new problematic said Sunday afternoon that
comment. Mulvaney still has the confi-
Explaining why Trump had dence of the president.
tried to steer an interna- In this Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, file photo, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney arrives to a The news conference on
tional summit to one of the news conference, in Washington. In this Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, file photo, White House chief of Thursday left aides in the
president's own properties staff Mick Mulvaney arrives to a news conference, in Washington. West Wing dumbfounded
before giving up on the Associated Press at the former South Caro-
idea, Mulvaney said Trump cast doubt on Mulvaney's Trump's selection of his besieged by an impeach- lina congressman's perfor-
"still considers himself to be job security at the White Doral, Florida, golf resort ment inquiry. mance and some quar-
in the hospitality business." House. to host next year's Group Mulvaney asserted in the ters of Trump's orbit — the
That did nothing to allay Mulvaney denied on "Fox of Seven world summit. It briefing that military aid to Justice Department and
concerns that the presi- News Sunday" that there was also an opportunity for Ukraine was delayed partly Trump's personal attorney,
dent has used his office to was any consideration of Mulvaney demonstrate his because Trump wanted of- among them — dissoci-
enrich his business interests. his resignation, "Absolutely, ability to defend the presi- ficials there to look into a ating themselves from his
The bookended perfor- positively not." dent. security company hired by account. The president
mances over the span of At a press conference He struggled, in the process the Democratic National himself, already angry that
a few days were panned Thursday, Mulvaney tried offering fresh fodder to crit- Committee that discov- Republicans were not de-
by the president's allies and to put a positive spin on ics of a president already ered that Russian agents fending him on Syria and
had broken into the com- Doral, was also displeased
mittee's network in 2016. that Mulvaney only made
"The look back to what the headlines worse, ac-
happened in 2016 cer- cording to three White
tainly was part of the thing House officials and Repub-
that he was worried about licans close to the White
in corruption with that na- House not authorized to
tion," Mulvaney told report- speak publicly about pri-
ers. "Did he also mention vate conversations.
to me in the past the cor- Still, a swift dismissal doesn't
ruption that related to the appear on the horizon,
DNC server? Absolutely, no according to nine staff-
question about that." Mul- ers and outside advisers,
vaney continued: "That's who noted the difficulties
why we held up the mon- Trump has faced attracting
ey." Trump's personal law- and retaining high quality
yers quickly dissociated White House staff even be-
themselves from the chief fore the impeachment epi-
of staff's comments. sode. The shortage of via-
Mulvaney's description ble replacements has kept
of the administration's other officials in their posts
handling of the Ukraine months after he soured on
aid amounted to a quid them.
pro quo, though he later Even before Democrats
claimed his comments had launched the impeach-
been misconstrued. ment inquiry, Mulvaney
"That's not what I said," Mul- was on thin ice, with dimin-
vaney told "Fox News Sun- ished status in the White
day" as host Chris Wallace House. Holding the job of
repeatedly confronted him acting chief of staff since
with his own comments. January, Mulvaney has
"That's what people said frustrated aides who saw
that I said." him as less willing than his
Secretary of State Mike predecessors to challenge
Pompeo refused to defend the president.q