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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Tuesday, December 11,2018 3A
Trump searching for new chief of staff
BY ZEKE MILLER,
JILL COLVIN AND
JONATHAN LEMIRE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON —
Wanted: Top aide to most
powerful leader in world.
Chief qualification: Willing
to take the job. Must also be
prepared to tolerate regu
lar undermining by boss
and risk of steep legal bills.
Post-employment prospects:
Uncertain.
President Donald Trump
is scrambling to find a new
chief of staff after his first
choice to replace John Kelly
bailed at the last minute
and several other potential
successors signaled they
weren’t interested in the job.
Back to square one,
Trump is mulling over a
list of at least four potential
candidates after Nick Ayers,
Vice President Mike Pence’s
chief of staff, took himself
out of the running Sunday
and decided that he would
instead be leaving the White
House. The announcement
surprised even senior staff
ers who believed that Ayers’
ascension was a done deal.
Trump is now
soliciting input
on a list of candi
dates that is said to
include Office of
Management and
Budget Director
Mick Mulvaney,
Rep. Mark Mead
ows, R-N.C., the
chairman of the
conservative House Free
dom Caucus, and former
New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie. And allies are pitch
ing Trump on even more
contenders.
But as quickly as names
were being floated, candi
dates appeared to be pulling
themselves from consid
eration, underscoring the
challenges of working for a
mercurial president who has
acknowledged that he likes
to surround himself with
chaos and despises any sug
gestion he’s being managed.
“In the best of times, it
is relentless,” said Chris
Whipple, an expert on chiefs
of staff and author of “The
Gatekeepers,” a book on
the subject. “It’s 24/7. It’s
thankless. You get all of the
blame and none of the credit
for everything that happens.
And that’s in the
best of times. We
are not in the best of
times.”
Trump’s admin
istration has set
records for staff
turnover, and the
president has often
struggled to attract
experienced politi
cal professionals, a chal
lenge that has grown more
difficult with the upcoming
threat of costly Democratic
oversight investigations
and an uncertain political
environment.
Those who take high-level
positions in the White House
at this time open themselves
up to potential legal expo
sure and pricey lawyer bills,
said David B. Cohen, a politi
cal science professor at The
University of Akron who
co-wrote a book on chiefs of
staff.
After reports surfaced
Monday that he was unwill
ing to take the job, Mead
ows told Politico Playbook:
“Serving as Chief of Staff
would be an incredible
honor. The President has a
long list of qualified candi
dates and I know he’ll make
the best selection for
his administration
and for the country. ”
Meanwhile, U.S.
Trade Representa
tive Robert Ligh-
thizer, a potential
contender, said
he was “entirely
focused” on his cur
rent position. A per
son familiar with Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s
thinking but not authorized
to speak publicly made clear
he, too, is happy in his cur
rent post.
While some of the reac
tions may be strategic pos
turing, there is also ample
reason for any aspiring chief
of staff to give pause to the
notion of taking the job.
Trump has already
burned through two chiefs of
staff — a former chairman
of the Republican National
Committee and a retired
Marine four-star general —
subjecting them to regular
humiliation and ridicule.
Former RNC Chair
man Reince Priebus’s
departure from the White
House was unceremoni
ously announced by tweet.
Nearly 18 months later,
Trump stepped on
an orderly succes
sion plan for Kelly,
making a surprise
Saturday announce
ment on the White
House lawn that
the retired general
would be leaving by
year’s end.
Ayers’ ascen
sion and Kelly’s departure
looked like a done deal Fri
day night, according to mul
tiple people in and close to
the administration, with an
announcement planned for
Monday. Trump and Ayers
had discussed the job for
months, and the president
had already been steer
ing inquiries to the Pence
staffer rather than Kelly.
These people, like others,
spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss sensi
tive personnel matters.
But Trump jumped the
gun Saturday, and Ayers
re-evaluated his decision.
While a White House offi
cial said Ayers’ decision was
driven by a desire to return
to Georgia to be closer to
his family, people familiar
with his thinking said he
was also worried about scru
tiny of his former political
consulting business. He and
Trump also could not reach
agreement on Ayers’ length
of service. Ayers wanted to
serve on an interim basis;
Trump wanted a two-year
commitment.
Trump was stung by
Ayers’ decision to back out,
according to people close to
him. The embarrassment
comes at a pivotal time for
Trump, as he prepares for
re-election while facing an
expected onslaught of inves
tigations from Democrats
who will take control of the
House and amid the ongoing
Russia probe.
When Trump appoints a
replacement for Kelly, he
will set a record for most
chiefs of staff within the first
24 months of an administra
tion, according to an analysis
by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas of
the Brookings Institution.
Yet Trump once mocked
his predecessor for chief of
staff turnover.
“3 Chief of Staffs in less
than 3 years of being Presi
dent: Part of the reason
why (" BarackObama can’t
manage to pass his agenda,”
Trump wrote in a 2012 tweet.
Kelly
Ayers
Brexit deal in turmoil as May postpones vote
MATT DUNHAM I Associated Press
Remaining in the European Union supporters, including one dressed as
Santa, hold placards and protest outside the Houses of Parliament in
London, Monday, Dec. 10.
BY JILL LAWLESS
AND DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press
LONDON — Facing almost
certain defeat, British Prime Min
ister Theresa May on Monday
postponed a vote in Parliament on
her Brexit deal, saying she would
go back to European Union lead
ers to seek changes to the divorce
agreement.
May’s move threw Britain’s
Brexit plans into disarray, inten
sified a domestic political crisis
and battered the pound. With EU
officials adamant the withdrawal
deal was not up for renegotiation,
the country does not know on what
terms it will leave — and whether
May will still be Britain’s leader
when it does.
In an emergency statement
to the House of Commons, May
accepted that the divorce deal she
struck last month with EU leaders
was likely to be rejected “by a sig
nificant margin” if the vote were
held Tuesday as planned.
May said she would defer the
vote so she could seek “assur
ances” from the EU and bring the
deal back to Parliament. She did
not set a new date for the vote. The
U.K.’s departure is supposed to
take place on March 29.
Opposition lawmakers — and
ones from May’s Conservative
Party — were incredulous and
angry. Some accused her of tram
pling on parliamentary democracy.
“The government has lost con
trol of events and is in complete
disarray,” Labour Party leader
Jeremy Corbyn said.
Corbyn demanded, and was
granted, an emergency debate
Tuesday on the postponement. But
Labour lawmaker Lloyd Russell-
Moyle was expelled from Parlia
ment for the day after he grabbed
the House of Commons’ ceremo
nial mace as a sign of protest.
The centuries-old gilded staff is
the symbol of royal authority. With
out it, the Commons can’t meet or
pass laws.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-
Brexit Conservative, expressed
despair at the Brexit shambles.
“It’s not really governing,” he
said. “It’s just an awful muddle.”
Monday’s turmoil sent the pound
to a 20-month low against the dollar
of $1.2550.
It was a new blow for May, who
became prime minister after Brit
ain’s 2016 referendum decision to
leave the EU. She has been bat
tling ever since — first to strike
a divorce deal with the bloc,
then to sell it to skeptical British
lawmakers.
May insisted the agreement
hammered out with the EU after a
year and a half of negotiations was
“the best deal that is negotiable.”
But it has been scorned by lawmak
ers on all sides of Britain’s debate
about Europe.
Derisive laughter erupted in
the House of Commons when May
claimed there was “broad support”
for many aspects of the deal.
Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the
deal keeps Britain bound too
closely to the EU, while pro-EU
politicians say it erects barriers
between the U.K. and its biggest
trading partner and leaves many
details of the future relationship
undecided.
The main sticking point is a
“backstop” provision that aims to
guarantee an open border between
EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s
Northern Ireland after Brexit. The
measure would keep Britain under
EU customs rules, and is supposed
to last until it is superseded by per
manent new trade arrangements.
Critics say it could leave Britain
tied to the EU indefinitely, unable
to strike new trade deals around
the world.
May said she would hold talks
with EU leaders ahead of a sum
mit in Brussels on Thursday and
Friday, seeking “further reassur
ances” over the backstop.
“Nothing should be off the
table,” she said.
EU leaders signaled they are
prepared to help Britain, up to a
point, but insisted the Brexit agree
ment could not be changed.
“The deal is the deal,” Irish
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney
said. “It’s taken two years to put
together. It’s a fair deal for both
sides.”
European Council President
Donald Tusk tweeted: “We will
not renegotiate the deal, includ
ing the backstop, but we are ready
to discuss how to facilitate U.K.
ratification.”
A key member of the European
parliament’s Brexit team, Green
lawmaker Philippe Lamberts,
predicted May’s shuttle diplomacy
would fail to secure changes.
“The only net result of this round
of capitals will be an additional
amount of C02 in the atmosphere,”
he said.
Despite May’s dogged deter
mination to press on, the tumult
leaves her in a precarious position.
Conservative rivals are preparing
for a potential leadership chal
lenge, and Labour has threatened
call for a no-confidence motion in
the government.
Scottish First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon said her Scottish National
Party would support an attempt to
topple the government and trigger
a new election.
“This shambles can’t go on — so
how about it?” Sturgeon tweeted at
Corbyn.
Corbyn stopped short of calling
a no-confidence vote Monday, but
said if May could not renegotiate
with the EU, “then she must make
way.”
Delays in approving the Brexit
deal increase the chances of Brit
ain crashing out of the EU with no
agreement. The government and
the Bank of England have warned
that could bring logjams to British
ports and plunge the country into
its deepest recession in decades.
May said the government would
step up preparations for a no-deal
Brexit in order to mitigate its worst
effects. It has already stockpiled
medicines and other key goods.
Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the
Confederation of British Industry,
said the delay was “yet another
blow for companies desperate for
clarity.”
“Investment plans have been
paused for two-and-a-half years,”
she said. “Unless a deal is agreed
quickly, the country risks sliding
towards a national crisis.”
May has also warned that reject
ing her deal could result in Britain
not leaving the EU at all.
Macron vows tax cuts, pay rise; will France’s anger subside?
CLAUDE PARIS I Associated Press
TV screens show French President Emmanuel during a
televised address to the nation, at an electrical appliance
store in Marseille, southern France, Monday, Dec. 10.
BY SYLVIE CORBET
AND ANGELA CHARLTON
Associated Press
PARIS — French Presi
dent Emmanuel Macron
tried to reassert control over
a nation wracked by increas
ingly violent protests with
offers of tax relief for strug
gling workers and pension
ers — and an exceptional
admission Monday that “I
might have hurt people with
my words.”
It may not be enough.
Even as Macron broke
his silence on the protests
in a brief televised address,
yellow-vested demonstra
tors vowed to keep up the
pressure on a man they see
as arrogant, out-of-touch and
“president of the rich.”
“We are at a historic
moment for our country,” the
French leader said from the
presidential Elysee Palace.
“We will not resume the nor
mal course of our lives” after
all that has happened.
Speaking with a soft voice
and gentle tone, Macron
pleaded for a return to calm
after almost four weeks
of protests that started in
neglected provinces to
oppose fuel tax increases
and progressed to rioting in
Paris and a plethora of broad
demands.
It’s a turning point in
Macron’s presidency, and
a crucial moment for both
France and Europe. Macron
rode to the presidency last
year on promises of reju
venating France’s stagnant
economy and salvaging
European unity. His cred
ibility on both fronts is now
deeply damaged, just as the
EU struggles with Britain’s
chaotic exit and as France’s
protests have prompted
copycat movements beyond
its borders.
French protesters spent
days demanding that Macron
speak publicly about their
concerns. After he did, they
took to French airwaves and
social media to dissect his
promises.
“It doesn’t solve the prob
lem,” a protester in a yellow
vest, Alain Bouche, told BFM
television from a yellow-vest
roadblock southwest of Paris.
He said fellow demonstrators
want a national referendum,
too.
Some protest representa
tives have said more dem
onstrations will be held
Saturday, following those
in Paris that turned violent
during the previous two
weekends.
Meanwhile, students
opposing changes in key
high school tests are calling
for a new round of protests
Tuesday.
Macron declared an “eco
nomic and social state of
emergency,” ordering the
government and parliament
to take immediate steps to
change tax rules and other
policies that hit the wallets of
working class French people.
He responded to several
of the protesters’ demands,
promising measures that
included:
■ a government-funded
100-euro increase in the mini
mum wage starting at the
beginning of the new year
■the abolition of taxes on
overtime pay in 2019
■ asking profit-making
companies to give workers
tax-free year-end bonuses
■ slashing a tax hike on
small pensions, acknowledg
ing it was “unjust.”
One thing he didn’t do:
restore a special tax on house
holds with assets above $1.5
million that he had slashed
last year. Yellow vest protest
ers decry the end of the tax
and wanted it revived.
Overall, Macron unveiled
no radical changes, and clung
to his vision for transforming
France. Yet his costly prom
ises will make it even more
difficult to boost growth —
already being hammered
by protests that have dam
aged holiday retail sales and
worried tourists and foreign
investors.
“It’s more of a budgetary
adjustment than a change of
political course,” said Ben
jamin Cauchy, a yellow vest
protest representative. “That
doesn’t correspond to what
the French want.”
Some protesters just
wanted one thing: Macron to
announce “I quit.”
He showed no signs of giv
ing in. Instead, he defended
his political independence
and described his devotion
to serving France. No French
presidential or parliamen
tary elections are scheduled
until 2022.
The most remarkable part
of the speech may have been
the moment Macron said: “I
take my share of responsibil
ity” for the anger gripping
France.
It was an unusual admis
sion for a president whose
leadership has appeared
marked by a single-minded
determination to push
through reforms he promised
in his 2017 campaign, regard
less of the fallout.
“I might have hurt people
with my words,” he said.
Indeed, he wounded many
when he told a jobless man he
just had to “cross the street”
to find work. Or when he told
retirees with small pensions
to stop complaining. Or when
he suggested some French
workers are “lazy.”
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