(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Trump’s not even president yet, but his team is already in shambles [1] ['Daily Kos Staff'] Date: 2024-12-05 If you thought Donald Trump might be more competent in his second term, given he's already done this once before, well, you thought wrong. About one month into his transition, Trump is already presiding over the same kind of chaotic mess he did the first go-round, with aides warring, unceremonious firings, and lack of vetting leading to avoidable negative press. In other words, this all feels like a bad case of déjà vu. One Cabinet pick, the now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, had to drop out due to scandals. Trump picked Gaetz—who had a known history of allegedly inappropriate sexual behavior—to serve as attorney general, without input from his incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who was supposed to be helping manage Trump’s worst impulses but is failing miserably. Gaetz’s eight-day stint as a nominee was one of the fastest flameouts in American history. Fox News host Pete Hegseth's withdrawal as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense seems to be coming next. The Trump transition failed to vet Hegseth, who it turns out had been accused of rape and has an alleged problem of drinking on the job. Hegseth’s nomination is in such bad shape that he’s forcing his own mother—who once told Hegseth in an email how little she respected him because of his womanizing—to make calls to GOP senators and beg them not to tank her son’s nomination. And there's danger for Trump's other Cabinet picks. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, whom Trump tapped to be director of national intelligence, has been accused of being a Russian asset due to her regularly spewing talking points from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. “Behind closed doors, people think she might be compromised. Like it’s not hyperbole,” an unnamed Senate Republican aide told The Hill. “There are members of our conference who think she’s a [Russian] asset.” Meanwhile, Trump had to replace his White House counsel before the guy even started on the job. Just three weeks ago, Trump had chosen Bill McGinley to serve as White House counsel, praising him as “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” But on Wednesday, Trump announced that David A. Warrington would now be White House counsel, and that McGinley would be demoted to serving as counsel to the Department of Government Efficiency, the toothless advisory commission Trump plans to create for billionaire Elon Musk and tech bro Vivek Ramaswamy to find ways to cut federal spending. There’s also drama behind the scenes. Trump’s lawyers are now probing whether Trump adviser and ally Boris Epshteyn was using his position in Trump's orbit for financial gain, CNN reported recently. According to CNN’s report: The internal investigation, which was confirmed by half a dozen sources and is not criminal in nature, has probed multiple instances of Epshteyn allegedly requesting payment in exchange for promoting candidates for administration positions or offering to connect individuals with people in the upcoming administration relevant to their industries, sources said. In one instance he requested as much as $100,000 per month in exchange for his services, according to sources familiar with the matter. And Musk is pissing people off in Trump world, serving as a kind of shadow president whom aides believe is trying to undermine Trump. NBC News reported on Nov. 13: The sources said Musk’s near-constant presence at Mar-a-Lago in the week since Election Day had begun to wear on people who’ve been in Trump’s inner circle longer than he has and who see him as overstepping his role in the transition. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. “He’s behaving as if he’s a co-president and making sure everyone knows it,” one of the people said. “And he’s sure taking lots of credit for the president’s victory. Bragging about America PAC and X to anyone who will listen. He’s trying to make President Trump feel indebted to him. And the president is indebted to no one,” this person added. Then there’s all the grift and corruption. The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump's family is once again gearing up to profit financially from his new stint in office. Reportedly, Trump’s second son, Eric, who is now the leader of Trump’s business empire, “would be free to profit from an array of business in countries essential to American foreign policy interests.” If things are this bad now, it’s going to be a very, very long four years. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/5/2290338/-Trump-s-not-even-president-yet-but-his-team-is-already-in-shambles?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_10&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/