Updated May 25, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump expected to name Ken Cuccinelli to top immigration post

Photo: Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

Francis Cissna resigned from his position as the director of U.S. citizenship and immigration services on Friday per the request of President Trump — who is expected to name Kenneth Cuccinelli, Virginia's former attorney general, as Cissna's replacement, reports Politico.

The big picture: The move to push Cissna out is part of Trump's reimagining of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump also pushed out DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April.

Details: Cuccinelli is known as a hardliner on immigration and his appointment received the support of Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller, according to the New York Times. The new position will likely be a part of the Department of Homeland Security — rather than a White House post.

Yes, but: While Trump wants a heavy-hitting immigration leader like Cuccinelli, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he would block Cuccinelli's confirmation because he led an effort in 2014 defying McConnell and promoting candidates to run against incumbent Republicans, per the Post.

Go deeper: What we know about Jared Kushner's immigration plan

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Fadel Allassan
41 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Bill Clinton slams McConnell and Trump: "Their first value is power"

Former President Bill Clinton on Sunday called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) vow to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant Supreme Court seat before the next presidential inauguration "superficially hypocritical."

The big picture: Clinton, who nominated Ginsburg to the court in 1993, declined to say whether he thinks Democrats should respond by adding more justices if they take back the Senate and the White House in November. Instead, he called on Republicans to "remember the example Abraham Lincoln set" by not confirming a justice in an election year.

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Axios
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Pelosi: Trump wants to "crush" ACA with Ginsburg replacement

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that President Trump is rushing to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because he "wants to crush the Affordable Care Act."

Why it matters: Pelosi wants to steer the conversation around the potential Ginsburg replacement to health care, which polls show is a top issue for voters, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has urged the courts to strike down the law, and with it, protections for millions with pre-existing conditions.

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Mike Allen, author of AM
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Democrats' Armageddon option

A makeshift memorial outside the Supreme Court yesterday. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Furious Democrats are considering total war — profound changes to two branches of government, and even adding stars to the flag — if Republicans jam through a Supreme Court nominee then lose control of the Senate.

On the table: Adding Supreme Court justices ... eliminating the Senate's 60-vote threshold to end filibusters ... and statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico. "If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021," Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) tweeted.

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