Policymakers

[Commentary] In his written testimony to Congress, Brendan Carr, who has been nominated to be the third Republican Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission, omitted the most important fact: He worked for AT&T, Verizon, Centurylink, as well as the CTIA, the wireless association, and the USTA, the telephone association. Moreover, much of this work has direct ties to his current work with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai (a former Verizon attorney). Together they have amassed a string of corporate-monopoly friendly, harmful consumer regulations that have passed or are percolating.

In the end, Carr and Pai clearly show that they are still working for the industry, not the public interest. On top of this, there are even holes in Carr’s work timeline, as told by his own LinkedIn bio. His resume shows he clerked for a judge in the 2008-2009 timeframe, while his bio shows him also working from 2005-2012 for Wiley Rein and the telecommunications companies and their associations. All of this should be a deal breaker. The Senate should not confirm Brendan Carr’s nomination as FCC Commissioner.

[Bruce Kushnick is the executive director of New Networks Institute]

[Commentary] The American people are far greater than the sum of our political parties. It is time for us to rise above our broken politics and renew the spirit that enabled us to achieve the seemingly impossible. This is why I am running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.

Our government is hamstrung by excessive partisanship. We are letting critical opportunities to improve the country pass us by. And we are not even talking about the most important thing: the future. The victims of this leadership failure are the good people we are sworn to serve, and we are leaving our country ill-prepared for dramatic changes ahead. The current administration is making us less prosperous and less secure. I’m running because I have an original approach to governing and economic policy that can put us on a different course.

On July 26, I received a phone call from Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director. He wasn’t happy. Earlier in the night, I’d tweeted, citing a “senior White House official,” that Scaramucci was having dinner at the White House with President Trump, the First Lady, Sean Hannity, and the former Fox News executive Bill Shine. It was an interesting group, and raised some questions. Was Trump getting strategic advice from Hannity? Was he considering hiring Shine? But Scaramucci had his own question—for me. “Who leaked that to you?” he asked. I said I couldn’t give him that information. He responded by threatening to fire the entire White House communications staff. “What I’m going to do is, I will eliminate everyone in the comms team and we’ll start over,” he said. I laughed, not sure if he really believed that such a threat would convince a journalist to reveal a source. He continued to press me and complain about the staff he’s inherited in his new job. “I ask these guys not to leak anything and they can’t help themselves,” he said. “You’re an American citizen, this is a major catastrophe for the American country. So I’m asking you as an American patriot to give me a sense of who leaked it.” In Scaramucci’s view, the fact that word of the dinner had reached a reporter was evidence that his rivals in the West Wing, particularly Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, were plotting against him.

On August 2, the Commerce Committee will hold confirmation votes for three nominees to the Federal Communications Commission. panel will vote on former Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr, a Republican. And Ajit Pai, the current Republican FCC chairman, will be considered for another five-year term. The committee will also be voting on the confirmation of David Redl, a GOP Hill staffer who President Trump nominated to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The Senate Commerce Committee has a vote on Federal Communications Commission nominations planned for Aug. 2 that will include two Republicans (FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and General Counsel Brendan Carr) and one Democrat (former Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel).

Also on deck: National Telecommunications and Information Administrator nominee David Redl. But Democrats may want a GOP commitment to set up smooth confirmation for the next Democratic FCC opening, whenever current-FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn departs. In multiple scenarios - such as not giving Carr the second full term he’s been nominated for or only confirming Carr and Rosenworcel now - "Commissioner Clyburn's replacement could be paired with Carr or Pai," a Democratic aide said, adding that Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) want to confirm Pai, Carr and Rosenworcel together. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) confirmed interest in securing GOP commitment on the next Democratic commissioner confirmation, although he said he's heard nothing from Commissioner Clyburn on when she may leave. "I want to just make sure that there's a guarantee, you know, that the next Democrat is in, so we have to work out some kind of formula to guarantee that is a part of whatever" nominations plans are made, said Sen. Markey. Chairman Thune said there's "been no formal engagement" with him yet.

Haley Van Dyck, the longtime Obama administration official who helped launch the US Digital Service in 2014, has left that office, OMB confirms. Van Dyck, who once held the formal title of deputy USDS administrator, had quietly stayed on to guide the agency through the start of the Trump presidency. "Haley's passion for improving digital services for the American people has been second to none," said Matt Cutts, the former Google engineer-turned-acting USDS administrator. "Haley had a specific goal of assisting USDS through the administration transition and left when she felt that was completed to the best of her abilities. Although the USDS team is sad to see her go, we're excited to see what's around the corner for Haley and wish her the best."

[Commentary] When President Donald Trump attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a tweet July 25 for not aggressively investigating Hillary Clinton, most attention focused, understandably, on the implications for Sessions. Yet even more alarming than the president’s assault on his own attorney general is President Trump’s return to the “lock her up” theme of his 2016 campaign.

Members of Congress who are, properly, investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 race have not questioned President Trump’s legitimacy. Hillary Clinton herself graciously conceded. The FBI thoroughly investigated her e-mail practices and found no basis to prosecute. Yet President Trump now attacks Sessions for taking “a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes,” implying that a politically inspired re-investigation might help the attorney general keep his job. It is disgusting. What’s at stake is much more than the careers of any particular attorney general or special counsel. The United States has been a role model for the world, and a source of pride for Americans, because it has strived to implement the law fairly. When he attacks that process and seeks revenge on his opponents, President Trump betrays bedrock American values. It’s crucial that other political leaders say so.

Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, resigned after denouncing chaos in the West Wing and telling President Donald Trump he vehemently disagreed with the appointment of the New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director.

After offering Scaramucci the communications job, President Trump asked Spicer to stay on as press secretary. But Spicer told President Trump that he believed the appointment of Scaramucci was a major mistake and said he was resigning, according to a person with direct knowledge of the exchange. In one of his first official acts, Mr. Scaracmucci, who founded the global investment firm SkyBridge Capital and is a Fox News contributor, joined Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Spicer’s chief deputy, in the White House briefing room and announced that she would succeed Spicer as press secretary. The resignation is a serious blow to the embattled White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, the former Republican Party chairman who brought Spicer into the West Wing despite skepticism from President Trump, who initially questioned his loyalty. Scaramucci described his relationship with Priebus as brotherly where they “rough each other up.” He called Priebus a “good friend.” Senior officials, including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Spicer’s top deputy, were said to be stunned by the sudden shuffle.

Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen announced that she has selected D. Bruce Hoffman, a partner at the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP, to be the Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, effective August 7, 2017. Hoffman is Global Co-Head of Shearman & Sterling’s Antitrust Group, focusing on antitrust and unfair competition, including merger reviews, government investigations, and private and government antitrust litigation. Previously, he led the global competition practice at Hunton & Williams, representing clients in the supermarket, funeral, and music industries, among others. Hoffman earned a B.A. from Penn State University and a J.D. from the University of Florida, College of Law. He served on the Florida Law Review and was the recipient of the W.D. McDonald Prize for graduating first in his law school class.

Acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen has appointed Neil Alan Chilson as the agency’s acting Chief Technologist. Chilson will be primarily responsible for advising Acting Chairman Ohlhausen and the Commission on technology matters, including the FTC’s use of technology, technical aspects of law enforcement actions, and technology policy recommendations. His portfolio will also include managing the FTC’s effort to better understand informational harms.

Chilson was previously an Attorney Advisor in the Acting Chairman’s office, serving as the Chairman’s principal advisor on technology, privacy, and data security matters. Previously, he was an attorney at the law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, where he handled a wide variety of telecommunications and privacy matters. He received his law degree from the George Washington University Law School, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Harding University.