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Trump To Nominate Shanahan For Pentagon Boss After Five Months In ‘Acting’ Role

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Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan (Defense Department photo)

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2019 — Patrick Shanahan, the ex-Boeing VP who has led the Defense Department since late last year, may soon see his “acting” career come to an end.

Shanahan, 56, will soon be nominated for Senate confirmation as the 27th Secretary of Defense, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday.

“Based upon his outstanding service to the Country and his demonstrated ability to lead, President Trump intends to nominate Patrick M. Shanahan to be the Secretary of Defense,” Sanders said in a statement.

“Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job.”

Trump previously tapped the former Boeing executive to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense under the 26th person to hold that position, retired Marine General James Mattis.

Shanahan was made Acting Secretary of Defense in December 2018, after Mattis resigned following President Trump’s decision to accede to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s request that he pull US troops out of Syria. Before joining the Defense Department, he spent 30 years at Boeing, rising to the position of senior vice president for supply chain and operations.

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Andrew Feinberg covers the White House, Capitol Hill, and anywhere else news happens for BeltwayBreakfast.com and BroadbandBreakfast.com. He has reported on policy and politics in the nation's capital since 2007, and his writing has appeared in publications like The Hill, Politico, Communications Daily, Silicon Angle, and Washington Business Journal. He has also appeared on both daytime and prime radio and television news programs on NPR, Sirius-XM, CNN, MSNBC, ABC (Australia), Al Jazeera, NBC Digital, Voice of America, TV Rain (Russia) and CBS News. Andrew wishes he could say he lives in Washington, DC with his dog, but unfortunately, he lives in a no-dogs building in suburban Maryland.

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"The Best People"

First Lady’s Spokesperson To Replace Sanders As White House Press Secretary, Comms Director

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Incoming White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2019 — Stephanie Grisham, a Trump administration veteran who has served as First Lady Melania Trump’s spokeswoman since 2017, will take Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ place as White House Press Secretary.

Mrs. Trump announced Grisham’s appointment in a tweet Tuesday.

“I am pleased to announce [Stephanie Grisham] will be the next [Press Secretary]” Mrs. Trump wrote, adding Grisham would also serve as White House Communications Director, a role last held by Trump confidante Hope Hicks.

Mrs. Trump added that Grisham be “working for both sides of the White House,” which means she will retain her current responsibilities as Communications Director for the Office of the First Lady.

Grisham is a veteran of Trump’s 2016 campaign who initially came to the White House as a deputy to then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer, but was quickly tapped to run Mrs. Trump’s communications operation.

Known for being fiercely protective of Mrs. Trump, Grisham played a key role in rolling out her signature “Be Best” anti-cyberbullying initiative.

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"The Best People"

Sarah Sanders Will Resign At Month’s End, Trump Says

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ tenure as White House Press Secretary will come to a close at the end of this month, President Trump said in a tweet Thursday.

“After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,” Trump tweeted.

“She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job!”

Trump added that he hoped Sanders would run for the governorship of Arkansas, a position once held by her father, Mike Huckabee.

Sanders is one of the few White House staffers who have served for the entirety of the Trump administration. She began her White House tenure as the Principal Deputy Press Secretary under Sean Spicer, but took over the top job in July of 2017 when Spicer resigned rather than report to Anthony Scaramucci, who’d been named White House Communications Director.

Scaramucci only lasted 11 days in the West Wing, but his decision to promote Sanders left a lasting impact on relations between the Trump administration and the press.

During her one year and 336 days as press secretary, the longstanding practice of holding a daily press briefing came to an end after months of contentious exchanges with reporters.

On the occasions when Sanders did brief the press, those sessions were frequently delayed until just before the President was due to speak at an event, giving her a reason to duck out of the room after as little as 20 minutes.

Her credibility as a reliable spokesperson took a hit after it was found that she’d lied about President Trump’s relationship with adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels.

The release of the Mueller Report did her reputation no favors, either, as it showed that she’d admitted to lying to the press in the wake of Trump’s decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey.

Asked to say a few words during a White House event on job opportunities for people with criminal records, Sanders said working in the Trump administration has been an honor and “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“I could not be prouder to have the opportunity to serve my country and particularly to work for this president,” she said.

“I’ve loved every minute of it, even the hard minutes.”

The White House did not respond to a query as to who would replace Sanders, but it is widely expected that her job will pass to Hogan Gidley, her principal deputy and a fellow Arkansan.

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"The Best People"

Trump Fires Secret Service Director, Names Career Official As Replacement

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WASHINGTON, April 8, 2019 — Less than 24 hours after he announced the firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, President Trump has fired the head of the agency charged with protecting him and his family.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday announced that Secret Service Director Randolph Alles would leave the agency “shortly” and be replaced by James M. Murray, a career official whose prior positions include service as the Special Agent in Charge at the agency’s Washington Field Office.

“United States Secret Service director Randolph “Tex” Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the President is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country,” Sanders said in a statement. Mr. Alles will be leaving shortly and President Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May.”

Alles, who retired from the United States Marine Corps as a Major General, had been tapped by Trump to lead the Secret Service only four months after he’d been confirmed as Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service.

His ouster comes in the midst of what one administration official told CNN was a “near-systematic purge happening at the nation’s second-largest national security agency.”

According to author Ronald Kessler, Alles clashed with administration officials last year when he proposed withdrawing Secret Service protection from some of President Trump’s family members and advisors unless they’d received threats.

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