As crisis swirls, Trump faces mounting pressure in party

Yahoo – AFP, Michael Mathes, February 15, 2017

US President Donald Trump has set his Republican Party on edge
(AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump and his White House have come in for intense criticism in the president's dizzying first weeks in office, and the rising sound of discord is not just coming from opposition Democrats.

Republicans on Capitol Hill and outside the Washington Beltway are increasingly venting their frustration and worry -- sometimes publicly but more often among themselves -- about the new administration's missteps, speedy policy rollouts, abrasive tone and often tenuous relation to facts.

"We shouldn't be having these questions now" in the first month of a new presidency, said a Republican senator who requested anonymity so he could discuss the issue more freely. "We are concerned."

In a dozen AFP interviews, lawmakers, party grandees and congressional staff have painted a picture of an administration struggling to get up to speed on various fronts, trampling on White House protocol, and acting hastily instead of with deliberation and prudence as they pivot away from the policies of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.

The interviews were carried out shortly before explosive revelations in The New York Times that members of Trump's campaign and other aides were in repeated contact with Russian intelligence officials prior to November's election.

Among Republicans, strident accusations of incompetence have come from Senator John McCain.

"It's dysfunctional as far as national security is concerned. Who's in charge? Who's in charge!" an exasperated-looking McCain told reporters Tuesday, after top Trump aide Michael Flynn resigned amid charges he discussed US sanctions policy with Russia's ambassador prior to the inauguration, then misled Vice President Mike Pence about the contacts.

"Who's making policy? Who's making decisions? I don't know of anyone outside of the White House that knows," McCain said.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain fields questions from 

reporters on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2017 (AFP Photo/MARK WILSON)

'Seeking reassurance'

Trump repeatedly proclaimed he would "drain the swamp" in Washington and shake up the establishment.

"I'm just doing what I said I would do," he insisted Monday, vowing to keep translating his campaign promises into White House action.

He has proven time and again that he will do things differently as president, refusing to tone down his Twitter talk, issuing sweeping immigration restrictions and then clashing with the judicial branch which blocked them, and filling his inner circle with controversial confidants like strategist Steve Bannon.

And Trump has set his Republican Party on edge.

"Nobody's freaking out, but they are seeking reassurance" from higher-ups that the White House is not stumbling into crisis, a Republican congressional aide said, reflecting on the mood among colleagues on Capitol Hill.

Aides, House and Senate staffers and Republican operatives have huddled over drinks expressing hope that the new administration will "get it together," the aide said.

Key posts, including ambassadorships, remain unfilled, and a common criticism is that the administration often appears to remain in combative campaign mode.

White House staffers are leaking like a punctured canteen, bringing internal discord to light and infuriating the president.

"It's an unusual time that we're living at," Senator Susan Collins said when asked how she views contentious aspects of the new Trump era.

"It's troubling," she said of the Flynn fiasco.

Some lawmakers have chalked it all up to the teething problems of a new White House switching party hands, led by a president still defined by his mindset as a provocative and blunt-nosed business negotiator.

"Any new president is entitled to some grace period as far as getting his administration together," said congressman Peter King, who like Trump is from New York.

"I would give him time to get it worked out. We can come back in a few months and take a look at it."

"It's an unusual time that we're living at," Senator Susan Collins said when asked

 how she views contentious aspects of the new Trump era (AFP Photo/MARIO TAMA)

'Reduce the chaos'

Others are less forgiving.

"These are not normal growing pains," noted Republican strategist Rory Cooper, a former White House staffer under George W. Bush.

"Most Republicans want the tweets to stop and for Trump's staff to reduce the chaos emanating from their ranks," he said.

A few Republicans are now flinching at Trump's campaign promises. They balk at his plan for a wall on the Mexican border, arguing it would cost too much. And Trump's call to "repeal and replace" Obama's health care reforms is dividing Republicans.

"People you would expect to really rally around a Republican president are somewhat muted in their comments or defense," said Republican strategist Brad Marston of FourTier Strategies.

"I think there's a sense that he's probably biting off a little too much to chew."

Not every Republican is perturbed by Trump's debut, even if he antagonized Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto into cancelling a US visit and reportedly lost his cool on a call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia.

"Trump was just being Trump," said Morton Blackwell, an influential conservative activist who recently met with the president in the White House.

And outside the political sphere, Trump's base supporters remain "delighted" so far, particularly on policy direction, Blackwell said.

"What we saw in the... campaign we're likely to see during the administration," he added. "Who would be surprised about that?"

Related Article:

"Wild Cards" (3) - Nov 19 - 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)- (Text version)

".... The Wild Card of 2016

Remember: No emotion now. You have come from another planet and you’re looking at the end of 2016 – and there is the election. Understand without bias.

So for 2016, let’s do the numerology. You add the numbers and get nine. Nine is completion in simple numerology, and when you see a nine it often means the completion of something. Often it is of a time cycle, an energy or the completion of a paradigm. But it’s very strong.

The nines are stronger than many of the other numerological aspects and you feel them. The president-elect (at this writing) is a strong wild card. He is scheduled to become the 45th president. What a coincidence! Forty-five is a nine. A nine and a nine together are more than significant. They tell a story about what is happening. I will tell you something else. This story is not finished yet and there is more coming. You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t make up your mind in advance about any outcomes. You’re from another planet, remember? There’s no emotion, no bias, no politics and nothing to judge. Look at it for what it is.

A big stick has just been inserted into what is normal and it’s going to be turned. As the big stick turns, other things will respond that never would have responded otherwise. I wish to tell you, dear one, old soul, relax with upcoming wild cards. They do what they do on purpose so that you will have a better civilization in the future. Sometimes they show you what won’t work, and sometimes they change paradigms that would have never changed otherwise. But what you have now is a profound wild card. That is the message.

It’s so common for you to respond certain ways when you are invested in the process. The knee-jerk reaction is expected or you wouldn’t be a Human. However, for this lesson, you’re from another planet and you’re looking down and you’re seeing it. Pretend.

Isn’t that interesting about a nine and a nine together? It means that truly the end of something is here. Perhaps it’s the end of the old way things were done? Perhaps it’s a shake-up of the system so it can correct itself? Don’t dare make up your mind where it’s going, because it’s not finished yet. However, wait a moment. Did you also realize that 2017 is a “one” year? Not only is the energy one of completion with a double nine, but it moves into “a new beginning” (the definition of a one in numerology).

I have more to tell you about numerology, and also something that will be clearer about this whole situation. I will give this to you in the next channelling.

Can you relax in the face of uncertainty when it’s your own country? Can you relax in the face of not knowing what’s next? When you’re so involved, can you disengage from either side of the fray? That is the test of a Lightworker.

There’s something else coming. Dear ones, this is beautiful. No matter what you think and no matter what your reaction is to this channelling, what is happening is correct for your time and needed for your immediate future. I will speak of this later. The beauty is when you step away and see how grand it is, that Spirit cares enough that it would allow a big stick to occur that would stir your complacency at this time. The real reason? The shift is here.

How do you feel? I want you to relax and smile at what the shift has brought you. For those of you who felt all the “shift talk” was nonsense, this may be your wake-up call. It’s real. Here it comes.

This is the message of the day. I am Kryon, in love with humanity, and for good reason.

And so it is.

KRYON