Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 13 June 2017
Who loves him more? Trump’s cabinet members gush at meeting

By CATHERINE LUCEY the Paris climate accord. ports of infighting and dis-
JILL COLVIN And Commerce Secretary array. And the president
Associated Press Wilbur Ross offered thanks has repeatedly sought out
WASHINGTON (AP) — “for the opportunity to help conflict on social media,
Great president or great- fix the trade deficit.” distracting from the issues
est? Perhaps the strongest his advisers are trying to
That appeared to be the words came from chief of promote.
question at President Don- staff Reince Priebus: “On On Twitter, the Senate’s
ald Trump’s first meeting of behalf of the entire senior top Democrat, Chuck
his full Cabinet on Monday, staff around you, Mr. Presi- Schumer, trolled the presi-
as top aides took turns pil- dent, we thank you for the dent with video of a mock
ing praise on the boss. opportunity and the bless- staff meeting in which
After Trump extolled the ing that you’ve given us to aides praised Schumer’s
achievements of his young serve your agenda.” hair and his performance
administration, asserting The meeting came as the on the Sunday talk shows.
that he had accomplished Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and White House Senior White House struggles to Trump this week is highlight-
more than any president Adviser Jared Kushner listen as President Donald Trump speaks advance its agenda amid ing efforts to bring more
in his first six months —with during a Cabinet meeting, Monday, June 12, 2017, in the Cabi- the investigations into Rus- Americans into the econ-
“few exceptions,” like Presi- net Room of the White House in Washington. sia’s election meddling omy by having them start
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
dent Franklin Delano Roos- and possible collusion with working as apprentices.
evelt — his Cabinet added life.” idea that we’re going to the Trump campaign. So He also promised a news
on more accolades. Attorney General Jeff Ses- support them.” far no major legislation conference in two weeks
Vice President Mike Pence sions told Trump law en- Energy Secretary Rick Perry has made its way through to discuss the administra-
declared his job was “the forcement officers “are so gave his “hats off” to Trump Congress. The White House tion’s efforts to combat the
greatest privilege of my thrilled that we have a new for taking a stand against has been dogged by re- Islamic State. q
Maryland, DC attorneys general sue Trump over business ties

By BRIAN WITTE ties to his sprawling global land. Much of the case is payments without con- new acceptable status
Associated Press business empire and by ac- focused on allegations that gressional approval.“The quo.”Trump’s unique sta-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The cepting foreign payments Trump’s real estate and president’s conflicts of in- tus as both president and
attorneys general of Mary- while in office.Maryland At- business holdings violate terest threaten our democ- the financial beneficiary of
land and the District of torney General Brian Frosh a little-known emoluments racy,” Frosh said. “We can- his global business empire
Columbia filed a federal joined District counterpart clause of the Constitution. not treat the president’s raised questions about the
lawsuit Monday against Karl Racine at a news con- The provision bars the presi- ongoing violations of the emoluments clause of the
President Donald Trump, ference in announcing the dent and other govern- Constitution and his disre- Constitution even before
alleging he violated the lawsuit filed in U.S. District ment employees from ac- gard of the rights of the he took office. Trump and
Constitution by retaining Court in neighboring Mary- cepting foreign gifts and American people as the his attorneys argue the
clause does not cover fair-
value transactions, such
as hotel room payments
and real estate sales.The
attorneys general aren’t
the first to sue Trump over
emoluments. Just days af-
ter Trump’s inauguration
in January, the govern-
ment watchdog Citizens
for Responsibility and Ethics
in Washington filed a fed-
eral lawsuit in the Southern
District of New York. Since
then, a restaurant group
and two individuals in the
hotel industry have joined
as plaintiffs.The Justice De-
partment said Friday that
those plaintiffs did not suf-
fer in any way and had no
standing to sue, and that
it is unconstitutional to sue
the president in his offi-
cial capacity.White House
press secretary Sean Spicer
noted that response at a
White House press briefing
Monday.
“This lawsuit today is just
another iteration of the
case that was filed by that
group CREW, filed actu-
ally by the same lawyers,”
Spicer said. q