Things Are Moving Quickly

I waas intrigued by this description of the trasnsition process at Mar-a-Lago, specifically the designation of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence:

I’m sorry folks, we are going to have to wait to understand the thinking behind this one. I have absolutely no idea. Mrs Gabbard has never led any organization of scale, nor held any position of intelligence review that I am aware of.

Other than being a campaign surrogate (via RFK Jr) and very close friend of Tucker Carlson, who I’m told is one of a small group organizing the cabinet appointments; together with Donald Trump Jr, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr. (currently living in Mar-a-Lago); I’m not sure what would be the plan for Tulsi Gabbard (maybe with guidance from Ric Grenell?). Like everyone else, I’m puzzled.

Whoa, Bobby Jr is in residence at Mar-a-Lago? I did a web search for confirmation and came up with hints. I found this from Tuesday -- and thus it's probably already out of date -- at Politico:

People close to Trump say he has always sought input from a random assortment of advisers, ranging from captains of industry to the Las Vegas waitress who Trump said became the inspiration for his no-tax-on-tips proposal. But as he and his team plot out his next administration, the message being sent by the people he’s huddling with in Palm Beach is that he’s more welcoming than ever to Republican outsiders who want to shake up Washington.

. . . “There’s a lot of different factions. There’s a lot of people calling Trump. There’s a lot of people who thought one thing was set in stone and are finding out that’s not the case, and the chessboard is going to be shuffled a lot in the coming weeks,” said one person with knowledge of the transition.

. . . Those who have been in meetings with Trump and his team in recent days or have given input include not just his transition co-chairs Lutnick and Linda McMahon, but Musk, Vice President-elect JD Vance, his son Donald Trump Jr., Gabbard and Kennedy. There’s also a rotating cast of conservative influencers like Charlie Kirk and Vivek Ramaswamy, according to four people with knowledge of the meetings.

From the tone of the story, it wounds as though some or all of those influencers are in fact currently in residence at Mar-a-Lago, and Musk traveled with Trump to yesterday's meeting at the White House. This CNN report says,

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has essentially set up residency at the beach club, where members spot him or his enormous private security detail nearly every day. Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to stay in Palm Beach for most of the transition, was seen snapping photos with fans at the club last week.

Via the AP:

Indeed, Musk has sometimes appeared to be a member of the family. On election night, he was spotted giving his son a piggyback ride through a Mar-a-Lago ballroom and joined a family photo of the president-elect with his children and grandchildren.

Since then, he’s tried to put his imprint on every subject facing the new administration, according to people familiar with his efforts, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the dynamic.

This brings us to the latest unorthodox picks for Defense Secretary and Attorney General. The story continues,

While Trump’s 2016 election was a surprise, this time allies have spent four years pulling together personnel lists and policy proposals. Candidates are being represented by PR agencies and lobbyists. One potential Cabinet pick hired consultants to try to bolster his image.

While Trump had said he already had people in mind for various roles, Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of Trump’s transition team in charge of personnel, previously told The Associated Press that he hadn’t discussed any recommendations with Trump before his win because the president-elect is notoriously superstitious.

“What I do is I go and find the greatest candidates for the role. So each role will have, let’s say, eight amazing candidates — fully vetted, fully capable of Senate confirmation, OK?” he said. “Then he’ll start interviewing and he’ll start considering. That’s up to him, right? He’s the chooser.”

The problem of getting his controversial nominations confirmed by the Senate has come up in the process of electing the Senate majority leader. Article II, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution says,

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

ABC News says,

Any of Trump's appointees successfully installed during a recess would have the same legal authority and pay as a Senate-confirmed appointee. That said, a recess appointment is temporary -- expiring at the end of the Senate's "next session" (effectively almost two years).

According to Vox,

Though recess appointments have been used in the past by presidents of both parties, in recent years, the Senate has avoided going to extended recesses, blocking presidents from making any appointments in senators’ absence.

Sen Thune has agreed to allow recess appointments, as did his opponents in the just-concluded race for Majority Leader. How this will develop in the confirmation process for Trump's nominees remains to be seen, but so far, Trump's moves have been both fast and unpredictable. I suspect Thune is more on board with the Trump program than some may think:

BREAKING: Majority Leader John Thune was asked if he has any doubts on Trump's nominees - has just vowed to ram through his appointments "quickly" pic.twitter.com/uN5yrW1waU

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 13, 2024