WASHINGTON ― Top White House staffers on Tuesday said that “official” government events are part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to help Republicans in the coming midterm elections ― an admission that public dollars are being used for partisan political purposes.
One staff member on a conference call with reporters, responding to whether Trump planned to visit “purple” congressional districts rather than the safely Republican ones he favors, pointed out that Cabinet members ― including Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Energy Secretary Rick Perry ― are already doing that.
“And while these are official events, and I want to be clear about that, official events obviously drive earned media attention,” said the staffer, whom the White House would only permit to be identified as someone “familiar with the president’s thinking.”
“You know, the president’s Cabinet and senior staff have done 35 events with or affecting House districts in August already. Over 35 events in August already. I wanted to make sure I repeated that. And these include people and places like Secretary Carson in Mike Coffman’s district in Colorado 6; Secretary Perry in John Katko’s district in New York 24; acting Administrator Wheeler with David Young in Iowa 3; Ivanka Trump with Keith Rothfus and Mike Kelly in western Pennsylvania. All targeted districts. All fitting that, and I’m using air quotes, the suburban districts that I think you were inferring the president isn’t spending a lot of time in,” the staffer said. “Presidential rallies deservedly drive a great deal of attention, but there are many tools in that toolkit.”
