President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that there’s “no chaos” in his White House.
“People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!”
That tweet, however, was just the curtain raiser for a certifiably chaotic day in Trump’s presidency: a top aide was found to be in violation of a major ethics law, his top economic adviser quit, he was sued by a porn star and his administration sued a state in a widening fight over immigration. CNN also reported that Trump appears to be sowing discord within his current ranks.
“I like conflict. I like having two people with two points of view,” Trump said when asked about the internal strife during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “I like watching it, I like seeing it.”
Kellyanne Conway violates the Hatch Act
The US Office of Special Counsel announced that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act by “advocating for and against candidates” in last year’s Alabama Senate special election while on cable news. The OSC flagged the violation to the White House to consider disciplinary action, though a White House spokesman said Conway was only advocating Trump’s agenda.
Gary Cohn quits
Trump’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, resigned in the wake of disagreements over Trump’s decision to move forward with aluminum and steel tariff.
Following the formal announcement about his exit, Trump tweeted that there are “many people wanting the job.”
Dow futures quickly plummeted, suggesting that Wall Street was in for a rough day Wednesday.
Trump gets sued by adult film actress Stormy Daniels
A lawsuit filed by the porn star known as Stormy Daniels who claims Trump never signed a hush agreement regarding an alleged sexual encounter between the two and therefore the agreement is void. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, signed onto the agreement.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has claimed to have had an affair with Trump several years prior to his presidency. However, the lawsuit claims that when he was running for office and multiple women were coming forward to share stories of their own alleged encounters with the then-Republican presidential candidate, Cohen intervened in an attempt to keep Clifford from coming forward as well.
The lawsuit says Cohen has continued his attempts at silencing Clifford — including as recently as February 27, 2018. Cohen has said Trump “vehemently denies” any encounter between he and Clifford.
Suing California over immigration
Late Tuesday evening, the Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit against the state and its top officials to stop a cluster of so-called “sanctuary state” bills.
The lawsuit is the latest broadside from the Trump administration against so-called “sanctuary cities” — a broad term referring to localities that abide by some measure of non-cooperation with federal law enforcement — and amid an already heightened level of tension with California.