Take a look at the week in politics from July 16 through July 22.
Incoming White House Communications Director announces that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would take on the role of White House press secretary following Sean Spicer’s unexpected resignation Friday. Spicer’s resignation came after Scaramucci, a New York financier and former Trump campaign fundraiser, accepted the new job, a move Spicer adamantly opposed, multiple sources said.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is pursued by reporters as he arrives on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, following the collapse of the Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Lee and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas announced Monday night that they would not support the existing bill, meaning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell officially did not have the votes to even begin debate on his legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives at the Capitol on Tuesday. After the defeat of repeal and replace efforts, McConnell proposed a plan to repeal Obamacare without an immediate replacement. That proposal was also quickly stalled by the opposition of Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Susan Collins of Maine.
President Donald Trump gestures at Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada on Wednesday during a luncheon for Senate Republicans. Trump said of Heller, who has been an opponent of the health care bill, “”This was the one we were worried about. You weren’t there. But you’re gonna be. You’re gonna be. Look, he wants to remain a senator, doesn’t he? And I think the people of your state, which I know very well, I think they’re gonna appreciate what you hopefully will do.”
The door to Sen. John McCain’s Capitol Hill office stands open on Thursday, following the Wednesday night news that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The Arizona senator has received an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle and current and former leaders in the wake of the diagnosis.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and other law enforcement officials hold a news conference to announce an “international cybercrime enforcement action” at the Department of Justice on Thursday. Sessions said he plans to continue in his role despite President Donald Trump’s remarks on Wednesday blasting the AG.
“Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which, frankly, I think is very unfair to the President,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Times. “How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, ‘Thanks, Jeff, but I’m not going to take you.’ It’s extremely unfair – and that’s a mild word – to the President.”
President Donald Trump holds up a Channellock locking plier during a “Made in America” roundtable event at the White House on Wednesday. Trump touted trade protectionism at one event of the week. “Made in America Week” was the latest of the White House’s themed weeks that was dogged by Russia news.
Sen. Jerry Moran is surrounded by reporters as he arrives on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, following the collapse of the Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Moran and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah announced Monday night that they would not support the existing bill, meaning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell officially did not have the votes to even begin debate on his legislation.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina shows off Tilly, a Boston Terrirer and a candidate for the “Cutest Dog on the Hill” contest. Tilly is his office’s mascot and belongs to a member of his staff, the senator said on Twitter.
Michael Caputo, a former top Trump campaign adviser, prepares to testify before Senate intelligence committee as part of their investigation into possible ties between Trump associates and Russia. Caputo told CNN he “never once” discussed nor heard anyone else mention Russian involvement in the race to defeat Hillary Clinton.
President Donald Trump arrives aboard Marine One on the USS Gerald R. Ford at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday, July 22, for the commissioning of the aircraft carrier.
Senate judiciary committee Chairman Chuck Grassley talks with ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif as the panel holds a meeting to advance the nomination of Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI. The committee voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend Wray’s confirmation.
President Donald Trump leaves after speaking during the first meeting of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Trump urged states to give their “full support and total cooperation” to the effort, which has faced backlash from dozens of states. A number of Democratic lawmakers have called on the commission’s vice chairman, Kris Kobach, to resign from the role.