Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Monday, December 2, 2024 77° Today's Paper


Top News

Fact check: White House blames wrong party for nomination failure

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Then-President-elect Donald Trump walked with Labor Secretary-designate Andy Puzder, on Nov. 19, from Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J.

WASHINGTON >> The abrupt withdrawal of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary brought swift blame from press secretary Sean Spicer, who said Democrats had “a double standard” for his party’s president and former President Barack Obama.

But it was only the Republicans who had the power to kill the nomination of fast-food executive Andrew Puzder. A look at the reality:

SPICER: “Where is the role of Senate Democrats in this?” he asked reporters at the White House. “There is no focus on these guys having a double standard for which they had with Obama nominees. It’s just ridiculous. He was not given a hearing.”

THE FACTS: Senate Democrats indeed disapproved of Puzder, as they have most of Trump’s other nominees. But it was the majority Republicans who did him in.

At least half a dozen GOP members had made it clear to the White House that they couldn’t vote for him, largely because he had employed and long neglected to pay taxes for a housekeeper who was working in the country illegally – a big failing in the eyes of their tough-on-immigration party.

The GOP leadership had scheduled a hearing today for Puzder, but the party pulled the plug on it to head off what would have been a distasteful vote for many of its members.

Find all AP Fact Checks here: http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

51 responses to “Fact check: White House blames wrong party for nomination failure”

  1. nomu1001 says:

    This White House is the gravest, unprecedented, and imminent existential threat to our democracy.

    • allie says:

      Spicer is another deplorable and laughable liar for trump. He really is appalling as a spokesperson for the President. Just another horrible choice made by the inept Trump. In some ways, I feel sorry for the VP pence. I don’t agree with him on many things but he is an honorable, decent, honest man. Many Republicans hope trump will step down soon as he is not a legitimate president. Pence could be a very credible replacement but he is being ordered to lie for Trump. I hope he resists as it could come back to haunt him.He needs to protect his integrity as best he can.

      • Pocho says:

        All the FAKE news from the Libertards/Democrats are starting to affect Republicans! Yikes! Stand your ground Rep’s.

        • advertiser1 says:

          How is this fake news? Are you saying that Republican senators fall victim to the Libtards?

        • IAmSane says:

          Anything that makes Conservertards/Republicans look bad are just dismissed as “Fake News™.” #MAGA #BowlingGreenMassacreNeverForget #snowflakes #cuckservative

        • sarge22 says:

          because it is. anything IS just dismissed Uneducated?

        • klastri says:

          Mr. Puzder beat his ex-wife, and there was video testimony from her about that released to Republican senators. Many of them approached Mr. McConnell and said the nomination should be dropped. It was.

          That is not a Democratic issue.

        • sarge22 says:

          klastri beat his ex-wife, and there was video testimony from her about that released to fellow crickets. Many of them approached klastri and said all his whining must be stopped immediately.

        • klastri says:

          sarge22 – You are the most sad commenter on here. And that’s really saying something.

        • jusris says:

          IRT klastri: Its not SAD what she’s doing, it’s FEAR, she sees the writing on the wall and wants to lash out at people…We need to understand what sarge is going through and be there for her…#MAGA

        • sarge22 says:

          “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi”

      • mxp2000 says:

        Allie, the same but hurt liberal who would be better served by moving to the middle east.

  2. deepdiver311 says:

    so! he withdrew his nomination. whats the big deal
    media is a liberal operative including the sa!
    auwe!

  3. noheawilli says:

    Sure wish they would have had all these fact checks with the previous administration. Just was not vogue to doubt the anointed one.

  4. jonsno says:

    It is a proven fact that people vote on name recognition. Trump and the Clinton’s friendship go way back. Bill Clinton encouraged Trump to run on the Republican ticket. Trump is the ultimate Democratic undercover agent who infiltrated the Republic Party. Time will confirm this. Long Live Donald Trump!

  5. markat says:

    Spicer and Conway are both an embarrassment to the administration. The sooner they get cut loose, the better.

  6. MichaelG says:

    If you saw the press conference this morning, nothing that came out of the President’s mouth was true. He said he won by the largest margins. total lie.

    • Dai says:

      It was interesting when he was called on this. He conveniently stated the numbers were give to him. I was ashamed. To have our POTUS having to give this lame excuse after how many days of the fake news media trying to correct him. This is what happens when one thinks they are never wrong. I wonder if whoever gave him this number will be fired like Flynn? Maybe it was Miller?

      • klastri says:

        Trump’s constant, non stop lying and his cartoon-like incompetence is worse than even I expected before Inauguration Day.

        Anyone who watched that news conference today saw a man in the middle of a psychotic episode. He can’t now even hear questions accurately.

        Trump is profoundly mentally ill.

        • Valleyisle57 says:

          4 less year…4 less years…..4 less years!!!!!

        • Cricket_Amos says:

          “Lying, cartoon like, incompetence, psychotic, profoundly mentally ill”

          I do not think that all this name calling reveals that you have some kind of deeper insight.
          It starts to look like a substitute for substance.

          Perhaps take one or two specific topics, such as:
          – are his policies really going to produce economic growth?
          – will we finally have a handle on illegal immigration?
          – are we going to get the infrastructure fixed?
          – etc.

          and then offer some constructive suggestions along with specific criticisms of the suggested approaches.

    • Cricket_Amos says:

      “nothing that came out of the President’s mouth was true”

      I think you discredit yourself with exaggerations like this.

  7. jussayin says:

    Just a small attempt in balanced media coverage since SA is left biased: there was the withdrawal of Obama’s pick for National Intelligence Council chairman, Charles Freeman, in March 2009. Obama had tapped the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia for the sensitive post despite abundant conflicts of interests. Again under Obama, former Democratic New Mexico governor Bill Richardson had withdrawn as Commerce Secretary nominee after both liberals and conservatives protested his long record of corruption and incompetence. There was also former Democratic South Dakota senator Tom Daschle, who was forced to withdraw from his nomination as Obama’s Health and Human Services secretary amid a storm of ethical scandal, conflicts of interest, and tax avoidance. And so on. But most main stream media is left biased and get higher viewership ripping Trump. Mind you I’m not saying Trump is our ideal president; far from it. But the choices sucked and we have to live and make the best of the outcome. And it’ll be wishful thinking that the media will be more neutral. It’s like having Stephen Colbert be neutral [joke].

  8. Bully says:

    Press secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Trump Protege.

  9. nomu1001 says:

    Just what is true and what are blatant lies? Thankfully, most of us still have common sense and immeasurable patience.

    • Dai says:

      We can thank the fake news media. There the ones who are standing up to this president and his hitmen. This morning on Fox, Smith really tore into the POTUS and pointed out the numerous alternative facts he threw out there at the news conference. It was good to see him face the media but then he still resorted to 306 electoral votes and how amazing his victory was. I do agree it was an amazing win. I was amazed that so many believed him.
      The Russian issue will not go away anytime soon. I would call on him to release the transcripts of the conversations to prove that nothing illegal was discussed. If he does this then case closed, nothing to investigate.
      Also since he claims his staff did nothing illegal, then more the reason to provide the transcripts and recordings.

      • jusris says:

        IRT Dai: Nice confusion tactic there Dai..Using Fox News as your example confuses Trumpers who normally yell out FAKE NEWS, since it’s Fox that critiqued Trump, Trumpers are at a lost for words…#MAGA

    • advertiser1 says:

      Well, maybe not Sarge

  10. Eradication says:

    Thank goodness for the media coverage so far. Do you think the PEETUS would have done anything about Flynn if the WP and NYT had not released the fact that he committed treasonous acts against the United States? He knew about it for weeks and did nothing, even kept his VP out of the loop. He hired a spy for NSA, a racist for AG, a neo-nazi and Chief Stategist, etc. etc. I lived through the Nixon era and watergate, Reagan and Iran contra, Bush 1 & 2 with WMD’s. None of that comes close to what is happening now. The media is too busy chasing down lies to be able to report on U.S. & World news.

  11. keaukaha says:

    The republicans are in a bad place. They are supposed to be the keeper of the gate but in this case it’s all chicken wire and cardboard. The White House has been transformed into a chicken coop. Nobody wants to work there . It’s an embarrassment and excuses for the Chump will only prolong the inevitable. His presidency in in a fatal downfall. Anyone who thinks that it isn’t should be keeping a distance because the s–t is on the fan and it is so thick that the fan can’t spin.

  12. 808maka says:

    Why is the StarAdvertiser only now posting FACT CHECK:for this administration? Remember “YOU CAN KEEP YOUR PLAN” “YOU CAN KEEP YOUR DOCTOR” “THE AVERAGE FAMILY WILL SAVE APPROXIMATELY $2500 IN PREMIUM COSTS” The so called mainstream media is one of the reasons that the country is so divided!
    Being the only rag in Hawaii the STARADVERTISER should be a little more balanced instead of biased.

    • jusris says:

      Because it’s 2017…Are you asking them to stop the fact checking??? Are you saying the fact checking is incorrect??? Are you just upset that Obama didn’t get fact checked the last 8 years but Trump is??? Don’t you want the truth to come out or are you saying that Trump should be held unaccountable like Obama was??? #MAGA

  13. ready2go says:

    This article must be inaccurate? Is this a publicity stunt?

Leave a Reply