Apr 27, 2017

Spicer blames Dem "monkey wrenches" for shutdown hype

Alayna Treene

Lazaro Gamio / Axios

The Pentagon's investigation into foreign payments to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn dominated a large portion of Thursday's briefing. Spicer said the probe was "appropriate" and that Trump made the right call to fire Flynn.

  • On whether Flynn was properly vetted: "Why would you re-run a background check on someone... that had and did maintain a high-level security clearance [under the Obama administration]?"
  • Trump's tax plan: Spicer originally said the plan would remove tax preferences for 401Ks, but the WH later clarified that 401K retirement savings plans would not be impacted by Trump's tax proposal.
  • On shutdown questions: "The Democrats at the last minute have come in and thrown a lot of monkey wrenches into the ability to get this done despite the president doing everything he can to show good faith."
  • Trump's NAFTA changes: The focus is on agriculture services, and some areas outside of NAFTA — like dairy.

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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"It was 30 years ago, get over it": Mike Bloomberg's partner brushes off NDA concerns

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Why it matters: Democratic candidates have used the NDAs as a talking point against Bloomberg, calling on him to allow women to speak about the reported sexual harassment and gender discrimination they faced while working for him.

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Trump's opportunity to use Bernie as an economic scapegoat

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The big picture: If the U.S. economy remains strong, President Trump and CEOs will claim credit (as they've been doing for three years). If it turns sour, they'll blame Bernie (even though it's a largely baseless charge).

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