Trump’s reason for dumping Elon Musk associate is falling apart: NYT
The reasons given by White House insiders on why Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Elon Musk associate Jared Isaacman to head NASA are now being questioned.
According to a report from the New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Ryan Mac, the dismissal of Isaacman was officially described as being due to “prior associations,” which was meant to convey it was because he had previously donated to Democrats.
According to insiders, the president was only recently alerted to Isaacman's Democratic largesse, but now, with Musk out of the White House, that excuse is being questioned.
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The Times is reporting, "... those donations were old news. While Mr. Trump privately told advisers in recent days that he was surprised to learn of Mr. Isaacman’s contributions and that he had not been told of them previously, he and his team were briefed about them during the presidential transition in late 2024, before Mr. Isaacman’s nomination, according to two people with knowledge of the events."
The report adds that Isaacman also has confirmed he "directly told Mr. Trump about those donations when they met in person weeks after the 2024 election."
With the White House not responding to questions clarifying who knew what and when, the Times report added, "Mr. Trump is said to have deferred to Mr. Musk on the choice, given his success with SpaceX. But Mr. Trump told Mr. Musk on Friday, his last day in the government, that he planned to pull Mr. Isaacman’s nomination. Allies of Mr. Musk and some allies of Mr. Trump spent part of Saturday publicly trying to salvage the nomination."
Lawyer rips Epstein adviser’s ‘gross’ claim about ‘American hero’: ‘Shame on her’
An attorney for several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein said he was "appalled" on Thursday after a high-powered corporate attorney who advised the late child sex offender told lawmakers that she did not view Virginia Giuffre as a "credible witness."
Attorney Arick Fudali, who represents 11 Epstein survivors, told CNN anchor Boris Sanchez he was stunned to learn about the comments from attorney Kathy Ruemmler, the former Goldman Sachs general counsel, who was questioned behind closed doors by the House Oversight Committee earlier this month about her relationship with the financier.
Ruemmler told congressional leaders that she thought Giuffre, one of the most prominent accusers of Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, "lacked inherent credibility."
Ruemmler's comment has left Giuffre's family furious, and Fudali shared his reaction with CNN.
"It's appalling. It's gross. You know, any adjective you can possibly think of and [it's] really offensive for her to say that about Ms. Giuffre, who, in my opinion, is an American hero, someone who suffered greatly and someone who inspired so many other survivors, not just of Jeffrey Epstein, but of sexual abuse around the world," Fudali said.
"Ms. Giuffre is the reason, I know personally, that a lot of women were able to feel comfortable, feel strong, and feel empowered enough to step forward," Fudali added. "So shame on her for saying anything of the sort. Anything, especially casting doubt on Ms. Giuffre's allegations."
‘The guy has no shame’: RFK Jr.’s ‘fanatic’ tirade on CNN floors analyst
A political analyst was floored after one of President Donald Trump's cabinet secretaries erupted during a CNN interview.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went on a tirade on Sunday's "State of the Union" with host Dana Bash, one that devolved into Kennedy shouting at Bash about issues ranging from the COVID-19 vaccine to autism. Will Saletan, a writer at The Bulwark, argued during a new podcast episode on Monday that Kennedy's tirade was indicative of the fact that he's a 'fanatic' rather than a scientist.
"The guy has no shame," Saletan said.
He pointed to one moment in particular where Kennedy claimed that COVID-19 was manufactured to impact Caucasians and Black people more so than other races. He also mentioned Kennedy's blatant untruths about how former CDC Director Anthony Fauci managed the pandemic.
"The problem with Kennedy is he doesn't think like a scientist. He's a fanatic," Saletan said.
