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In researching another post on Mike Pence, I ran across these startling statements, about WHO really did all the interviewing and vetting of potential White House staffers. Pence used the battle-laden term of “Tiger Teams” as part of the Trump Transition Team effort. Mike Pence afterall was the Director of the Transition — so he should know, Right?
Know for instance, which “Tiger Team” member vetted Rob Porter?
Mike Pence Full Press Conference — Jan 19, 2017
At approx TimeMark 2:40
Mike Pence:
“I'm pleased to report that the Presidential Transition Appointment Team has conducted more than 170 interviews prior to the Election. More than 200 people since that Election have sat down with, what are called our Tiger Teams -- for full vetting and full review.”
This piqued my interest, as to why Mike Pence has not risen up from the woodwork, to claim responsibility for his handiwork NOW — namely current the White House staffing problems, with all the uncleared White House staffers handling Top Secret Documents. And so forth …
Pence showed no hesitancy to lay claim to this expedited hiring process in the past. Neither did those he put in charge of the Tiger Teams, either …
Ex-Congressman Sweeney of Clifton Park vets Trump staff
Clifton Park lawyer on interview team
by Paul Grondahl, timesunion.com -- January 11, 2017
[...]
[Ex-Congressman John Sweeney] ran President-elect Donald Trump's New York state presidential campaign and organized a raucous rally in April that packed 15,000 people into the Times Union Center. He's been tapped as a high-level member of Trump's presidential transition team, known as the "Tiger Team."
Fueled by coffee and chicken salad sandwiches from the Trump Tower's cafe, Sweeney and three other high-powered Trump partisans have completed more than 300 interviews thus far. They're conducting 30- to 60-minute interviews of applicants for jobs including senior national security and intelligence positions, ambassadors, undersecretaries and top-ranking officials in nearly every federal agency. They conduct interviews by phone or in person and rank finalists 1 through 5. The final hiring is done by senior Trump aides following background checks.
"The last two weeks we did a lot of work on State Department and United Nations positions and the pool of applicants is impressive beyond belief," Sweeney said. "We did 15 phone interviews with ambassadors around the world yesterday, including six current ambassadors looking for extensions."
Sweeney is conducting interviews alongside three transition team members, lawyers all: Martin Silverstein, U.S. ambassador to Uruguay under President George W. Bush; Ira Greenstein, president of Genie Energy Ltd.; and financier Anthony Scaramucci, founder and co-managing partner of the hedge fund SkyBridge Capital.
[...]
Oh My God. “The Mooch” was a key member of Pence’s “Tiger Teams” — appointed to conduct rapid-fire hiring for the incoming Trump Administration. Who knew!?
Scaramucci’s appointment was even announced by the Wall Street Journal:
Anthony Scaramucci Joining Trump Administration, Transition Team Confirms
Investment firm founder to focus on selling Trump’s agenda and communicating with business community
by Lisa Beilfuss and Michael C. Bender, WSJ — Jan. 13, 2017
The president-elect’s transition team confirmed Thursday that Anthony Scaramucci, founder of investment firm SkyBridge Capital, is joining the incoming administration as an assistant to Donald Trump.
[… pay to read more ...]
No wonder they did such a Bang-up Job in all their Hiring Choices. With HR talent like that, how can you go wrong?
Nonetheless, none of this ineptitude caused VP Pence to leave off the “Tiger Teams” efforts from his Official Memo to President Trump — which cited his Transition Team’s many accomplishments:
MEMORANDUM January 19, 2017
TO: President-elect Donald Trump
FROM: Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Transition Chairman
SUBJECT: Transition Accomplishments Summary
[...]
Presidential Appointments:
— The Presidential Appointments team conducted approximately 170 interviews prior to the Election all across the country of former office holders, prospective candidates and campaign senior advisors. Insight was gathered from some of the key conservative voices in the Republican Party.
— Tiger team interviews of senior candidates since the Election will exceed 200 people — these interviews are in addition to the Executive Committee — and President-elect-level interviews — that have occurred with all Cabinet members and many Senior White House staff, and Deputy Secretary posts.
[...]
[Emphasis added]
Once again I ask, Who knew?
Well gosh darn it, you know now.
