Tulsi Gabbard retracts report that may have ‘improperly’ identified Trump official: report
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard retracted an intelligence report on Tuesday because it may have "improperly" identified a Trump administration official, according to a new report.
The report Gabbard withdrew detailed work performed by Richard Grenell in Venezuela, The New York Times reported. Grenell was a top intelligence official in the first Trump administration and currently leads the Kennedy Center.
The Times reported that the document included information about Grenell's conversations and negotiations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, citing "people briefed on the document."
"Multiple people briefed on the matter insisted the report was recalled because it did not adequately hide Mr. Grenell’s identity, describing him as the presidential envoy to Venezuela," according to the Times. "Ms. Gabbard has asked intelligence agencies to take special care with reports that either directly identify Trump administration officials or are written in ways that could easily identify them."
Gabbard previously caused a stir after she released the name of an undercover spy in an effort to announce that DNI had revoked security clearances for several people who worked on Trump's impeachment trials and the investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
"News of the recall came amid a debate over the Trump administration’s policy toward the country," according to the report. "Mr. Grenell, who serves as an envoy to Venezuela, has advocated negotiations with its authoritarian government, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pushed for a more hard-line approach."
"But other officials said the recall of the report had little to do with competing camps in the Trump administration and was more about improperly identifying a senior official in an intelligence document," it added.
‘He’s a nut’: Republicans turn on Trump attack dog who got ‘too big for his britches’
Republican lawmakers are reportedly fed up with housing official Bill Pulte and view him as "a nut," Politico reports.
The Trump administration's Federal Housing Finance Agency director is now at the center of President Donald Trump's heated campaign against the Federal Reserve and has become "one of his most vociferous social media attack dogs" for the commander-in-chief.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Pulte, threatening physical violence during an exclusive Georgetown event for Trump administration officials.
During the cocktail hour, Bessent launched into an aggressive confrontation with Pulte, claiming the housing official had been speaking negatively about him to Trump. Witnesses reported Bessent's explosive verbal assault, with him demanding, "Why the f--- are you talking to the president about me? F--- you," and declaring, "I'm gonna punch you in your f---ing face."
Republicans are reportedly pleased that Bessent confronted Pulte.
Speaking anonymously to Politico due to the sensitive nature of the administration infighting, one lawmaker shared frustration over Pulte.
“I think he’s a nut,” one House Republican told Politico.
“The guy’s just a little too big for his britches,” said another GOP lawmaker and member of the House Financial Services Committee. “I’ve got great respect for Bessent for taking him on.”
Pulte initiated mortgage fraud allegations against Fed Governor Lisa Cook — Trump later moved to fire her. Like Trump, Pulte also attacks Fed Chair Jerome Powell, claiming his handling of monetary policy and the expensive renovations to the central bank's Washington headquarters.
"Rank-and-file Hill Republicans" appear to back Bessent and see him as "a key stabilizing force on economic policy within the Trump administration."
Many Republicans see Bessent as "the adult in the room."
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), chair of the House Financial Services oversight subcommittee, prefers Bessent's approach.
“I’m always in line with where the president wants to go, and I believe [Pulte] is as well,” he said. “I know Secretary Bessent is, and that’s where my loyalties lie, with the president and with Secretary Bessent.”
“I would have done the same,” another Republican who spoke anonymously to Politico said.
Trump faces ‘real problems’ as data shows US ‘might be due’ for recession: NYT journalist
CNN contributor and New York Times podcast host Lulu Garcia-Navarro warned on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is taking a "double-edged" sword to the economy, as evidenced by the latest job numbers.
The Department of Labor published data on Tuesday that revised the previous quarter's job numbers downward by 900,000, which was the largest downward revision in the agency's history. The revision came about a month after Trump removed the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner because the agency published what he described as unreliable data.
Garcia-Navarro said the data BLS published shows there are "real problems" surfacing in Trump's economy.
"To me, what's most interesting about these numbers is manufacturing," Garcia-Navarro said. "There are some real problems in manufacturing."
Trump has made it a goal of his second administration to re-establish America's manufacturing base. To that end, he has implemented numerous tariffs that seek to protect American manufacturers from foreign competition.
"This whole idea that somehow manufacturing is going to be resurgent, I think, is showing a lot of weakness," Garcia-Navarro said.
The data also adds to the growing skepticism about the state of the U.S. economy. Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. economy is in good health, although some experts like J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon have their doubts.
“I think the economy is weakening,” Dimon told CNBC on Tuesday. “Whether it’s on the way to recession or just weakening, I don’t know.”
Garcia-Navarro said part of the economic weakness is being driven by decreased federal spending.
"You're seeing a double-edged sword here, where they are actually limiting the economy in two different ways that are showing," she added. "I think the word recession is a word that we haven't seen in a while, but we might be due for it."
