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A bill that slaps new sanctions on Russia, and passed the Senate almost unanimously, has hit a major stumbling block in the House.

Rep. Kevin BradyKevin BradyHouse Republicans block Russia sanctions bill New border adjustment tax would amount to a trillion tax hike on consumers Club for Growth bashes border tax ahead of Ryan speech MORE (R-Texas) said the legislation has been flagged by the House parliamentarian as a "blue slip" violation, referring to the constitutional requirement that revenue bills originate in the House.

"The House obviously will actto preserve the Constitution. Or the Senate can take thebillback, make the updates to it, and bring it back and move forward from that direction," Brady told reporterson Tuesday.

Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, pushed back against suggestions that House GOP leadership is trying to delay the bill, stressing that he thought the Senate legislation was "sound policy."

"I am confident working with the Senate and Chairman [Ed] Royce that we can move this legislation forward. So at the end of the day, this isnt a policy issue, its not a partisan issue, it is a Constitutional issue that we will address," he toldreporters.

A spokesperson for Royce didn't immediatelyrespond to request for comment.

AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanIronworker announces run against Paul Ryan: 'Let's trade places' House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill Overnight Finance: Ryan wants tax reform to be permanent | White House expects tax bill ready by September | Defense spending battle delays budget MORE (R-Wis.)said,"The Senate bill cannot be considered in the House its current form."

"The chair of the Ways and Means Committee, in consultation with the House Parliamentarian, has determined that the Senate sanctions bill as passed is in violation of the origination clause of the Constitution, commonly referred to as a 'blue slip' problem," she said.

She addedthat Ryan strongly supports sanctions and "we will determine the next course of action after speaking with our Senate colleagues."

An aide for Sen. Bob CorkerBob CorkerHouse Republicans block Russia sanctions bill US weighs travel ban on North Korea: report GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal bill coming Thursday MORE (R-Tenn.), who was deeply involved in negotiating the Senatedeal, said that the House has raised "concerns with one of the final provisions" of the bill.

"Now that we fully understand the issue raised today, we are working closely with them to further resolve the matter. We are confident we can find a path forward," the staffer said.

The aide for Corker didn't immediately respond to a question about what the "final provisions" included. Asked specifically what provision of the House bill got flagged as a "blue slip" violation, a spokeswoman for Brady referred back to his comments to reporters.

"The House has always, in a bipartisan way, followed protocol to avoid Origination Clause violations. It's the Constitution. It's pretty straightforward," a senior GOP aide added.

But the decision is soundingalarmbells among Democrats, who are warning that Republicans could be trying to delay the bill amid pushback from the Trump administration.

Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles SchumerDems step up attacks on GOP ObamaCare bill Live coverage: Senate Dems hold talkathon to protest GOP health plan GOP exploiting Virginia shooting in Georgia election MORE (D-N.Y.) lambasted the move, arguing they're using the procedural roadblock to cover for Trump, "who has been far too soft on Russia."

"Responding to Russias assault on our democracy should be a bipartisan issue that unites both Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate. The House Republicans need to pass this bill as quickly as possible," he said.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added that Republicans could easilywork aroundthe violation by introducing anindentionHouse bill.

[But] I predict this isn't the last excuse we'll hear for trying to slow this bill's momentum, but make no mistake, anything short of an up-or-down vote on this tough sanctionspackage is an attempt to let Russia off the hook," he said.

Sen. Ben CardinBen CardinDems are limited in their ability to slow ObamaCare vote House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill Overnight Finance: Ryan seeks manufacturing muscle for tax reform | Warren targets Wells Fargo board | Senators raise concerns over Russian takeover of Citgo | Pelosi hits GOP for budget delays MORE (D-Md.) stressed that he didn't think the Senate bill actually had a "blueslip"issue,but echoed Engel noting they it could be "easily corrected" by using a House bill.

"What theHousemany times believes [is] that if there's any fine in thelegislation ... that's a revenue measure, and therefore that comes under the blue slip," he said. "I don't believethat's a part of this bill, but I know the House has raised this in the past."

Headded, "If you take that logic, the Senate could neverinitiate any sanctions legislation."

The Senate passed the legislation last week, marking its most significant check on the Trump administrations foreign policy, which has flirted with lifting sanctions ina bidto entice Moscow into an agreement.

The legislation would impose a range of new sanctions, including on any individuals tied to "malicious cyber activity," supplying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad's government or any that are tied to Russia's intelligence and defense sectors.

It would also give Congress 30 days or 60 days around the August recess to review and potentially block Trump from lifting or relaxing Russia sanctions, codify the sanctions on Russia imposed by executive order by the Obama administration and allow the Trump administration to impose new sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy.

It also includes new sanctions targeting Irans ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, transfer of weapons and human rights violations.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to use a House Foreign Affairs hearing this week to telegraph concerns about the bill, warning lawmakers against undercutting constructive dialogue with Russia.

"I would urge Congress to ensure any legislation allows the president to have the flexibility to adjust sanctions," he told lawmakers.

See the original post here:
House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill - The Hill (blog)

5.Held onto major business conflict of interest holdings after winning the presidency. Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm. Ethics experts urged Trump to liquidate his business holdings, but all Trump would do was place them in a trust controlled by his children where he still holds a long-term interest.

6. Conducted eight congressional inquirieson Benghazi to smear political opponents in order to win elections, with nothing ever found. Estimates for the last investigation alone are between $7to $20 million.

7. Held the debt ceiling hostage causing Standard & Poors to downgrade the countrys creditratingfor the first time ever.

8. Won an election after an assault charge.Republican Greg Gianforte won the Montana seat to the House of Representativesafter assaulting a reporter the night before the election. Perhaps whats even more disgusting is the $50,000resolution of the issue, suggesting that we already have two justice systems in our country:one for the wealthy where you can pay your way outand one for everyone else.

9.Redistricted eightstates to win a 235 to 201 advantage in the House of Representatives in 2012 despite Barack Obama being elected president by nearly 3.5 million more votes. This was a result of a corporate special interest project called the Redistricting Majority Project. By pumping $30 million into state races to win the legislatures, Republicans redrew state maps in states such as Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Florida, and Ohio to place all of the Democrats into just a few districts. While gerrymandering has been done before by Democrats, it has never been done this badly and on this scale. I have a standing $100 bet that I can pick all 27 of the Ohio and North Carolina races in advance (permanently rigged 21 to 6 in favor of Republicans). No one has taken the money bet yet but I have won a few beers in both 2014 and 2016 from people who didnt think it could possibly be this rigged. It is.

10.Stripped power from a newly elected Democratic governor (because he was a Democrat). Only this year, much of this legislative power grab has been ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court.

11. Lied us into the Iraq War at a cost of $2 trillion. The oil industry behind the lies? Theyre now in charge of the state department.

12. Created a system so corporate special interestscould bypass state legislatures. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a corporate organization that drafts laws and then passes them on to Republican legislatorsto implement. Need legislation drafted? No need to go through a lobbyist to reach state legislatures any more. Just contact ALEC.

13.Shut down the government because the Democratic Party wouldnt defund the Affordable Care Act.

14. Received an endorsement from Alex Jones, Americas leading conspiracy theorist.

15. Used the Un-American Activities Committee in the House to make accusations of treason and disloyalty with insufficient evidence(Joseph McCarthy).

16.Pushed the birther conspiracy. Before the election, more than two-thirdsof registered Republicans had doubts about whether or not the President was born in the United States.

17. Chose party over politics and declared they would refuse to do anything for eightyears of Barack Obamas presidency for partisan reasons. Basically, Republicans became the party of nogovernance.

18.Prevented a Supreme Court Justice appointee from coming up for a vote for an entire year.

19. Removed a rate decrease that would have helpedfirst-time and low-income homeowners.

20.Increased taxes for 99 percentof Americansby letting Barack Obamas payroll tax cut expire. This increased taxes by $1,000/year for aperson earning $50,000/year. Whenever you hear the phrase tax cuts, remember that they are only for the 1 percent. To offset the lost revenue, they will raise your taxes. Whats really going on is tax shiftingRepublicans shift the burden off those at the top and onto everyone else.

21.Refused to release tax returns. Donald Trump is the first person to run for president in 50 years who didnt release his tax returns. Every candidate since the days of Richard Nixon including Nixon released his tax returns.

22. Bugged Democratic headquarters and tried to cover it up.

At least he never profited from his political machinations in the Watergate scandal.

23. Fired the FBI chiefwho was investigating Russian involvement in their presidential campaign. Remember when conservatives lost their shit because Bill Clinton metLoretta Lynch on an airport tarmac? Imagine if Hillary Clinton had taken Lynch out to dinner, asked for a loyalty vow, and suggested she end the email investigationthen, when she refused, fired her. Because, just to be clear, this is what happened with Trump and James Comey.

24. Banned use of the terms climate change or global warming in Florida. This unwritten policy went into effect at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after Republican Governor Rick Scott was elected in 2011. Freedom?

25. Put climate change on a list of terms that the Energy Department shouldnt use. Seeing as how successful threatening peoples jobs provedin Florida, the new Trump Energy Department under Rick Perry, a guy who once argued that the Energy Department should be shut down, also told their staff not to use climate change. This is really nothing though compared to the EPA funding cuts, other various edicts such as telling scientists not to use the social costs of carbon in economic analyses, and proposals to block the EPA from using science to set pollution limits.

26. Banned federal funding for research on gun violence at the urging of the corporate special interest National Rifle Association (NRA). After the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released research demonstrating that having firearms in the home sharply increased the risk of homicide, Congress passed legislation forbidding the CDC from spending any money to advocate or promote gun control.Lets get thisstraight:advocating or promoting gun ownership is fine, but any research that might indicate it causes social problems such as homicides or increased gun violence is forbidden? And this is called freedom?

27. Outed a CIA agent as political retribution. While still a covert agent, officials in the Bush administration leaked Valerie Plames name to journalist Robert Novak after her husband criticized the Bush Administration. President George Bush later commutedScooter Libbys prison sentence.

28.Sold arms to the Iranians in exchange for the release of hostages, despite campaign promises to never negotiate with terrorists. This would become know as the Iran-Contra affair when it was discovered that government officials had diverted $18 million secretly to insurgents in Nicaragua known as the Contras.

29. Were describedas a real opportunity for people like white nationalists by the leader of the American Nazi Party.

30. Cited a bible verse calling for President Obama to be killed, his wife widowed, and his children orphaned. Kansas House Speaker Mike ONeal forwardedthe following bible verse in an email referring to Barack Obama:

Let his days be few; and let another take his office

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.

May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.

ONeal added his own message:At last I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!

31. Attempted to gut the House Ethics Committee. One of the first actions of the Republican Congress under President Trump was trying to gut the House Ethics Committee. There was no advance notice or debate. The move received so much public backlash that they backed down twodays later.

32. Blew a hole so big in the budget deficit that a subsequent Republican president approved tax increases. Ronald Reagans tax cuts failed to increase revenue and added to the deficit. In 1990, twoyears into his term, President George H.W. Bush faced a $200 billion budget deficit. In response, he worked with a Democratic Congress on a budget that raised taxes to reduce the deficit.

33. Racially gerrymandered a state (North Carolina) for political gain. When your racist voter suppression law is even too racist for a Republican Supreme Court, you know its racist.

Coda

I could go on, but you get the idea: Republicans are the tip of the spear when it comes to corruption.

The next time you hear someone sayB-b-b-b-but Democrats ... dont let them get away with this idea that somehow both parties are the same. Share with them how Republicans lead on corruption.

David Akadjian is the author of The Little Book of Revolution: A Distributive Strategy for Democracy(now available as an ebook).

Follow this link:
33 things Republicans (and only Republicans) have done to blaze new trails of corruption - Daily Kos

Moments before masking her face with a bandana, a woman shouts at Denver Republicans preparing to take part in Denver's annual PrideFest Parade in a still from a video recorded by a volunteer at the parade on Sunday, June 18, 2017, in Cheesman Park in Denver. (Photo courtesy Denver Republican Party)

A masked protester accosted Denver Republicans preparing to take part in Sundays annual PrideFest Parade, yelling obscenities while attempting to remove a banner featuring a Donald Trump quotation from the county partys parade entry, the partys chairman told Colorado Politics.

We were prepared for a lot of hateful rhetoric, Denver County Republican Chairman Jake Viano said after the incident, which took place Sunday morning in the parade staging area at Cheesman Park. But Viano said he was stunned when a young woman approached the county partys float, an Audi convertible bedecked with a Trump quotation about protect[ing] LGBTQ citizens printed on a rainbow flag background.

We had just started rolling with the parade and were handing out literature, when all of a sudden this young lady rolls up, all dressed in black and throws her face mask on and starts yelling, Viano said, quoting a near-constant stream of obscenities, as three others dressed just like her stood on the periphery. Then she grabbed our lit out of the vehicle, along with a black bag and a glass bottle of juice she grabbed that and threw it on the ground, breaking the glass.

Viano said bystanders helped retrieve the county partys fliers, which reproduced the same Trump quotation depicted on the banners: As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens from attacks from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology. Donald Trump, July 21, 2016, at the RNC.

The woman tried to rip one of the banners from the side of the car but was unsuccessful, he said.

People accompanying a neighboring parade float pulled aside a couple of the women, Viano said, and toldthem to stop this nonsense.

Soon the women your typical Antifas, Viano said, describing them as white women in their early 20s with short-cropped hair, clad all in blank with bandanas covering their faces started heading south, away from the parade route.Viano said he had a 911 dispatcher on the phone for roughly 15 minutes as he followed the women while attempting to describe his location but later returned to the parade when the police never showed up.

We appreciate the police and the job that they do, but we really would have appreciated a response, Viano said. We didnt see anyone on foot or on bicycle, and they never called me back.

Viano said he plans to file a police report.

They were trying their best to quash our First Amendment rights, while we were using our First Amendment rights to show that we do not hate them, Viano said.

The Denver Police Departments on-call public information officer didnt immediately respond to an inquiry from Colorado Politics on Sunday afternoon.

Viano said the Denver Republicans float was received well on the parade route, which traveled along East Colfax Avenue to the state Capitol.

We had a warm welcome, he said. There were a couple sneers and jeers, but overall there were a lot of dropped jaws Wow, the Republicans dont hate gays!

Colorado Republican Party Chairman Jeff Hays was quick to condemn the incident.

This thug represents what we oppose: those who would resort to physical violence to take away our God-given freedoms, stifle our expression and rob us of our rights without having the moral courage to show who they really are, Hays said in a statement.

Viano said he the altercation saddened him as much as anything.

Its sad the degree of polarization weve reached in this country politically, he told Colorado Politics. Ultimately, Democrats and Republicans equally love their country just as much. We just have different philosophies. I would like to see the American people come together to work in conjunction to move this country forward in a positive way.

He added that the Denver Republicans will continue participating in future parades.

Theyre not scaring me off, he said, noting that he was handing out fliers along the parade route and at the PrideFest for hours.

Read more:
Masked protester accosts Denver Republicans displaying Trump quote at Colorado LGBT pride parade - Colorado Springs Gazette

By David Morgan | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress will soon confront a complex challenge for tax reform: how to limit U.S. corporate tax avoidance schemes that take advantage of low tax rates in foreign countries.

Congressional and administration staff have begun to examine options to address profit-shifting schemes that include so-called transfer pricing, earnings stripping and tax inversions.

A decision on how to handle these in tax legislation could come before Congress leaves town for its one-week July 4 recess on June 29, officials and lobbyists said.

Lawmakers say the current tax code incentivizes profit shifting overseas because of the high 35 percent U.S. corporate income tax rate and rules that allow companies to hold profits abroad tax free until returned to U.S. soil.

Without effective measures against tax avoidance, experts and lobbyists said tax legislation could trigger a new exodus of income and assets abroad. Because Trump and Republicans in Congress also want to end U.S. taxes on foreign earnings, companies could eliminate their U.S. tax bills altogether without restrictions.

Tax reduction strategies have been employed for decades by companies including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O).

Independent analysts estimate the federal government misses out on more than $100 billion a year in corporate tax revenues as a result of tax reduction maneuvers. That is equal to one-third of the $300 billion in annual corporate tax revenues.

Many schemes seek lower corporate tax bills through "transfer pricing" - using transactions between business units to shift income abroad. The shift often coincides with the transfer of intangible assets such as intellectual property to low-tax nations where companies can expect single-digit tax rates.

Last week, Senate Finance Committee Democrats asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to leave in place regulations adopted under President Barack Obama to combat earnings stripping and tax inversions.

Companies use earnings stripping to shift income abroad as tax-deductible interest payments to foreign affiliates.

Inversions are international mergers in which U.S. companies move their headquarters to foreign countries with low taxes, if only on paper, to lower their U.S. tax bills.

Companies have accumulated some $2.6 trillion in abroad, equivalent to more than three-quarters of the $3.3 trillion in annual government receipts expected this year.

BORDER-ADJUSTMENT TAX

But the most effective measures against corporate tax avoidance schemes, including House Speaker Paul Ryan's controversial border-adjustment tax, or BAT, have proved unpopular, raising the possibility that tax legislation could simply cut the corporate tax rate to 15 percent to reduce the advantages offered by foreign tax havens.

Aside from BAT, which taxes imports but not exports, tax reform discussions are also looking at a minimum tax on profits from tax havens, a tax on intangible income and other measures to discourage companies from shifting profits to low-tax countries where they do little actual business, according to aides and lobbyists.

Lobbyists said none of the options have enjoyed consensus support in Congress. Meanwhile, the idea of a simple rate cut does not sit well with House Republican leaders.

"Even with a low rate, we'll continue to see U.S. jobs and research and headquarters move overseas," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a leading BAT proponent.

Experts warn that the 15 percent rate sought by Trump is well above a 5 percent effective rate that some corporations pay in countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Brady and Ryan are expected to address the issue in coming weeks with Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch. The six are trying to forge legislation that could be unveiled as early as September.

Trump has pledged the biggest tax overhaul since Ronald Reagan. But Republican infighting over healthcare has delayed the timetable.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

LONDON Britain's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said he would meet U.S. trade leaders in Washington on Sunday to talk about the possibility of signing a free trade deal between the two countries soon after Britain leaves the European Union.

LONDON Britain needs a seamless Brexit transition to support jobs and investment by ensuring a new customs arrangement with the European Union that avoids bureaucratic delays to trade, finance minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday.

Read this article:
Republicans debating remedies for corporate tax avoidance - Reuters

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

The array of legal and political threats hanging over the Trump presidency has compounded the White Houses struggles to fill out the top ranks of the government.

Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey last month and the escalating probe into Russian interference in the presidential election have made hiring even more difficult, say former federal officials, party activists, lobbyists and candidates who Trump officials have tried to recruit.

Republicans say they are turning down job offers to work for a chief executive whose volatile temperament makes them nervous. They are asking head-hunters if their reputations could suffer permanent damage, according to 27 people The Washington Post interviewed to assess what is becoming a debilitating factor in recruiting political appointees.

[Trump lashes out at Russia probe; Pence hires a lawyer]

The hiring challenge complicates the already slow pace at which Trump is filling senior leadership jobs across government.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

The White House disputed the notion that the administration has a hiring problem and noted that its candidates must be vetted by the FBI and the Office of Government Ethics before being announced publicly, which might contribute to the perception that there is a delay in filling key posts.

I have people knocking down my door to talk to the presidential personnel office, said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. There is a huge demand to join this administration.

The White House picked up the hiring pace in May and the first half of June, particularly for positions needing confirmation. It has advanced 92 candidates for Senate confirmation, compared with 59 between Trumps inauguration and the end of April.

But the Senate has just 25 working days until it breaks for the August recess. At this point, Trump has 43 confirmed appointees to senior posts, compared with the 151 top political appointees confirmed by mid-June in President Barack Obamas first term and the 130 under President George W. Bush, according to data tracked by The Post and the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Services Center for Presidential Transition.

For Cabinet posts, the median wait between nomination and Senate vote for Trump was 25days, according to data collected by The Post. By contrast, Obamas nominees faced a median wait of two days, George W. Bush had a median wait of zero days and Bill Clinton had a median wait of one day.

A White House official said about 200 people are being vetted for senior-level posts.

Potential candidates are watching Trumps behavior and monitoring his treatment of senior officials. Trump is becoming radioactive, and its accelerating, said Bill Valdez, a former senior Energy Department official who is now president of the Senior Executives Association, which represents 6,000 top federal leaders.

[Trump, furious and frustrated, gears up to punch back at Comey testimony]

He just threw Jeff Sessions under the bus, Valdez said, referring to recent reports that the president is furious at the attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. If youre working with a boss who doesnt have your back, you have no confidence in working with that individual.

Although Trump has blamed Senate Democrats for blocking his nominees, the personnel situation has many causes. After Trumps November victory, hiring got off to a slow start during the transition, and some important positions have run into screening delays as names pass through several White House aides who must give approval. Some prominent private-sector recruits backed off because they would face a five-year post-employment ban on lobbying.

Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke, who was being considered for an assistant secretary position at the Department of Homeland Security, was the latest to withdraw his name from consideration on Saturday. A person close to the administration who is familiar with the matter said long delays contributed to Clarkes decision.

[This Beltway insider is in charge of hiring for the Trump administration. Its taking a while.]

The Trump team has not faced the same issues with mid- and entry-level jobs. It has hired hundreds of young Republican staffers into positions that are rsum-builders and has filled some senior posts that do not require Senate approval.

Other candidates told The Post they would eagerly serve but are simply waiting for offers.

But as the president continues to sow doubts about his loyalty to those who work for him, most recently with his tweets on Friday that appeared to attack Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, a number of qualified candidates say they see little upside to joining government at this time. They include eight Republicans who said they turned down job offers out of concern that working for this administration could damage their reputation.

Republicans have become so alarmed by the personnel shortfall that in the past week a coalition of conservatives complained to White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. We remain very concerned over the lack of secondary and tertiary executive-level appointments, they said in a letter signed by 25 prominent conservatives called the Coalitions for America, describing their concern that the leadership vacuum will create mischief and malfeasance by civil servants loyal to Obama.

The letter culminated weeks of private urging by top conservatives, said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, who helped lead the effort. Theyre sensitive about it, and theyre trying to do better.

Fitton said that some candidates have faced inexplicable delays on job offers. People are waiting to hear back. Promises are made but not kept. People are left stranded. Positions are implied, and people are left hanging.

[President Trumps claim his nominees faced record-setting long delays]

In a town where the long hours and financial sacrifice of working in government are outweighed by the prestige of a White House or agency job, the sacrifice is beginning to look less appealing.

Potential candidates question whether they could make a lasting contribution in an administration whose policies often change directions. They worry that anyone in the White House, even in a mid-level post, faces the possibility of sizable legal bills serving on a team that is under investigation. And then there are the tweets.

You can count me out, said an attorney who served in the George W. Bush administration and has turned down senior-level legal posts at several agencies, including the Justice Department. This attorney, like others who talked candidly about job offers from the administration, spoke on the condition of anonymity, either because their employers do business with the government or they fear retribution from Republican leaders.

The attorney described an equally incoherent and unclear leadership at many agencies, in particular at the Justice Department, where the attorney characterized Sessionss push for stricter sentences for drug crimes as 1982 thinking that the Republican Party has largely abandoned.

Another person in line for a senior legal post who pulled out after Comeys firing said, I decided, What am I doing this for?

He described a disorganized paperwork process that threatened to leave him unprepared for Senate confirmation, and said he was disgusted that Rosenstein was hung out to dry as the president claimed at first that the deputy attorney general orchestrated Comeys firing.

You sit on the tarmac for quite some time, you see smoke coming out of the engine and you say, Im going back to the gate, he said.

[Slow pace of nominations leaves Cabinet secretaries in limbo]

In recent weeks, several high-profile D.C. attorneys and law firms have turned down offers to represent Trump in the ongoing Russia probe, some of them citing a reluctance to work with a client who notoriously flouts his lawyers legal advice.

And the White Houses top communications job has been vacant since Mike Dubke resigned in May.

[Dubke resigns as White House communications director]

Lawyers and candidates for White House jobs are particularly wary now, several people said.

What theyre running into now is, for any job near the White House, people are going to wonder, Am I going to have to lawyer up right away? said Eliot Cohen, a top official in George W. Bushs State Department and a leading voice of opposition to Trump among former Republican national security officials during the campaign.

Theyre saying, Tell me about professional liability insurance.

A longtime GOP activist and former Bush appointee said he rejected offers for several Senate-confirmed jobs because of his policy differences with Trump.

There are a number of people who are loyal Republicans but who dont feel comfortable with either [the administrations] trade positions, or the Muslim [travel] ban or the overall volatility of this administration. We just dont feel its very professional.

One prominent Bush-era Republican had a more measured view.

Everybodys trying to draw cosmic conclusions about the Trump administration, and my view is its still too soon to know what were working with, said a former high-ranking Bush national security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. He said a chief executive such as Trump who comes in as head of a political insurgency needs time to hire at least some people to his team who have not served in government before.

Others, though, say they have already seen signs of change that make them uneasy.

How do you draw people to the State Department when theyre cutting the budget by 30percent? asked Elliot Abrams, a national security veteran of the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations who was Secretary of State Rex Tillersons first pick for deputy secretary before the White House rejected him for criticizing Trump during the campaign. Abrams also cited the presidents last-minute decision to remove language from a speech in Brussels in May that affirms the United States commitment to NATO allies mutual defense.

Its much harder to recruit people now, Abrams said.

A senior White House official suggested that some people might have been considered but never officially offered an administration job because of vetting concerns or simply because they were not a good fit for the position.

In some cases, its just sour grapes, the official said.

Greg Jaffe contributed to this report.

Read more:
Help wanted: Why Republicans won't work for the Trump administration - Washington Post