Trump admitted that he gets his nominees by watching television and that he does no vetting of the people that he nominates.
Trump is nominating people based on what he watches on TV
Trump said, “No, you, vet for me. I like when you vet. You vet. I think the white house has a great vetting process. You vet for me. When I give a name, I give it out to the press, and you vet for me. A lot of times you do a very good job. Not always. I think the — if you look at it, I mean if you take a look at it, the vetting process for the white house is very good. But you’re part of the vetting process, you know. I give out a name to the press and they vet for me. We save a lot of money that way. But in the case of John, I really believe he was being treated very harshly and very unfairly.”
Video:
Trump admits that he does not vet his nominees, and picks his nominees by watching TV. pic.twitter.com/bmhRk720Ox
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 2, 2019
Jin Acosta confirmed that Trump nominated Ratcliffe based on watching him during Mueller’s testimony:
A full vet was not done on Ratcliffe, source familiar with the DNI selection process says. The source compared Ratcliffe to selection of Dr. Ronny Jackson for VA Secretary: both men were selected by Trump after performing to his liking on TV. But they weren’t properly vetted.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 2, 2019
Trump doesn’t vet his own nominees
The only criteria for getting a job in the Trump administration is performing well on television and getting Trump good media coverage. Trump’s lack of vetting is why he holds the record for most presidential cabinet members indicted in a first term. The president isn’t nominating people for important public sector jobs based on their expertise or experience. He is watching TV and picking people who say nice things about him.
This isn’t the government should work and it is one of the reasons why Trump is running one of the most corrupt and dysfunctional administrations in the nation’s history.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association