Why Trump built a staff of incompetent sycophants | Robert Reich
Briefly

Confidential planning documents for a Trump-Putin meeting were reportedly left in a public hotel area. Emil Bove, a judicial nominee, allegedly told Department of Justice subordinates to consider telling the courts to ignore orders blocking a deportation flight. Billy Long, an auctioneer-turned-IRS nominee with little tax experience, was confirmed and then fired after clashing with the treasury secretary, becoming the sixth IRS leader this year. EJ Antoni, nominated to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, drew bipartisan criticism for ignorance and incompetence and celebrated that recent net job growth went to native-born Americans. Many high-level appointees lack qualifications and rely on nonmeritocratic advancement.
Last week, Trump officials reportedly left behind documents describing confidential planning for the Trump-Putin meeting in a public area of an Alaskan hotel. That's nothing compared with the actions of Emil Bove, Trump's new nominee for the US court of appeals for the third circuit, who reputedly told subordinates at the Department of Justice that they should consider telling the courts fuck you' and ignoring any court order blocking a planned deportation flight.
Then there's Billy Long, a former auctioneer and Republican congressman who Trump nominated and was confirmed less than two months ago to head the Internal Revenue Service, with little background in tax policy beyond promoting a fraud-riddled tax credit. Long has already been fired after clashing with the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. Long was the sixth person to head the IRS this year.
Let's not forget EJ Antoni, whom Trump just nominated to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing former chief Erika McEntarfer for presiding over a disappointing jobs report earlier this month. Antoni is that rarity who has drawn harsh criticism from economists on the right as well as the mainstream for being ignorant, unprincipled and incompetent. He recently celebrated that all net job growth over the last year went to to native-born Americans.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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