Trump controversies: Michael Flynn, the travel ban and others

US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's resignation under fire was just the latest in a series of controversies that have embroiled the Trump administration since it took office on Jan 20.

>>Reuters
Published : 15 Feb 2017, 05:06 AM
Updated : 15 Feb 2017, 08:40 AM

Here are several of the tempests that have swirled around the new White House:

Flynn flap

Flynn quit on Monday after misleading the White House about his contacts with Russia before taking office and President Donald Trump lost trust in him, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said. US lawmakers, including some leading Republicans, called for an investigation.

Michael Flynn. Reuters

Trump was informed in late January that Flynn had not told Vice President Mike Pence the whole truth about conversations he had before Trump took office with Russia's ambassador to the United States, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said.

National security at Mar-a-Lago

Private guests at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida snapped photos of the president and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe conferring and looking at documents while surrounded by aides following a weekend missile launch by North Korea.

Reuters

One guest posted to his Facebook page a picture with a man described to be the holder of the "nuclear football," or weapons codes. The incidents prompted concerns about national security, and a Republican representative asked the White House for details.

Travel ban chaos

Trump issued an executive order on Jan 27 temporarily banning US entry by travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees, citing the need to protect Americans.

Reuters

The ban triggered protests across the United States, confusion at US and overseas airports and multiple legal challenges. A federal judge in Seattle on Feb 3 suspended the ban in an order upheld by a federal appeals court in San Francisco.

Court nominee's dismay

The Seattle judge's order drew fire from Trump on Twitter, who criticised the jurist and the court system.

Reuters

The Republican president's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, said last week that the Twitter attacks were "demoralizing" and "disheartening," according to a spokesperson. Trump said Gorsuch's comments had been misrepresented.

Kellyanne Conway plug

Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway urged Americans last week to buy his daughter Ivanka Trump's clothing and jewellery products during an appearance on a national television programme after department store chain Nordstrom Inc said it was dropping them due to a decline in sales.

Reuters

Conway's endorsement, which followed a Twitter attack by Trump on Nordstrom, prompted criticism from Democrats and Republicans. On Tuesday, the Office of Government Ethics said the White House should investigate whether Conway violated ethics rules.

Puzder's undocumented cleaner

Trump's nominee to head the Labor Department, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, admitted on Feb 7 he employed an illegal immigrant as a house cleaner. Puzder, who already faced strong opposition from Senate Democrats and progressive groups because of his views on labour issues, said he and his wife had employed the housekeeper for a few years without knowing she was not legally permitted to work in the country. He said that when he learned of her status, he and his wife ended her employment and offered her help in getting legal status.

Mexican visit cancelled

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped plans to meet his counterpart in Washington during the second week of Trump's presidency after Trump tweeted that Mexico should cancel the meeting if it was not prepared to pay for his proposed border wall.

Reuters

Thousands in more than a dozen Mexican cities took to the streets on Sunday to express their fierce opposition to Trump describing him as a menace to both America and Mexico.

Spat with Australian PM

Trump abruptly ended a phone call in late January with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, telling the leader of one of the United States' closest allies that it was the "worst call by far" he had had with a foreign leader, according to the Washington Post.

Trump said a deal between the United States and Australia on refugee resettlement was "dumb" and accused Turnbull's country of trying to export the "next Boston bombers" under the agreement, the Post said.