Jun 25, 2019

Trump says he has confidence in FBI director

Orion Rummler

Wray and Trump. Photos: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images and Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he has confidence in FBI Director Christopher Wray, following a Monday interview where he reportedly did not make his confidence in Wray clear.

The big picture: On Monday, Trump said he disagreed with Wray's testimony that the FBI director would not describe the agency's investigations as "spying" — an account that originated with Attorney General Bill Barr. These "spygate" allegations, which have not been corroborated, are one reason that Barr has called for a review of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Go deeper: Gang of 8 Democrats condemn Barr for suggesting Trump campaign was spied on

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Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 11 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Alayna Treene, Jonathan Swan

Energy deputy secretary nominee in hot water after contradicting Trump

Mark Menezes speaks at a forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 12. Photo: Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Trump administration officials are internally raising concerns about President Trump’s nominee for Energy deputy secretary, who appeared to openly contradict the president on nuclear waste storage at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain last week.

Driving the news: While speaking at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing last Wednesday, Mark Menezes told members of the panel that the Trump administration is still interested in storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and that “what we're trying to do is to put together a process that will give us a path to permanent storage at Yucca."

Go deeperArrow48 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

Exclusive: Pompeo says new China media restrictions "long overdue"

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The State Department announced Tuesday that it has designated five Chinese state media outlets as "foreign missions," meaning that they will be treated as arms of the Chinese government.

Driving the news: In his first public statement on the new designation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells Axios that the five outlets are "clearly controlled by the [Chinese Communist Party], and we are simply recognizing that fact by taking this action.”

Go deeperArrow1 hour ago - World