During former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's tenure, President Trump "abused," "harassed,” and "pestered" her into pursuing outlandish and sometimes outright illegal policies, Washington Post journalists Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig write in their forthcoming book A Very Stable Genius. And in several cases, Trump nabbed those policies directly from Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, an excerpt of the book published Wednesday in The Guardian details:
The president would routinely call Nielsen to say a version of 'Did you see Lou Dobbs? You're totally f--king embarrassing me. This is my issue!'… Sometimes, Trump would refer to one of Dobbs’s proposals and say, 'Kirstjen, just do it. Just do it.' 'But we can't do it,' Nielsen would explain, usually because whatever Dobbs had uttered on TV was against the law.After one flashpoint, Nielsen called Dobbs and politely offered to help his reporting. Hours later, Trump phoned Nielsen. "Did you call Lou Dobbs?" he asked. She said yes. Trump replied: "That's great. Lou says you’re very smart!"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Second Amendment enthusiast Donald Trump has little new to say on gunsThe Explainer Trump opposes a ban on assault weapons and strengthening background checks, but supports teachers carrying weapons in school
-
When does it make sense to refinance your student loans?The Explainer Refinancing involves moving your existing student loans into one new loan, which can streamline how many different payments you are juggling each month.
-
Why has the Taliban banned pictures of living things?Under The Radar 'Virtue' ministry says banned images are contrary to sharia law
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
