Newsletter: Tracking Donald Trump's Nominees
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President-elect Donald Trump has continued to fill his incoming administration with allies and loyalists, an indication of his desire to be surrounded by people unlikely to constrain him.

Several applicants recently told the New York Times ([link removed]) that they were asked questions seemingly aimed at determining their loyalty — including what they thought about the Jan. 6 insurrection or whether the 2020 election was stolen. “The sense they got was that there was only one right answer to each question,” the Times reported.

Earlier this week, Trump said he’d asked conservative lawyer Mark Paoletta ([link removed]) to serve as general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
* American Oversight has been fighting for the release of documents ([link removed]) from OMB related to Schedule F, Trump’s 2020 executive order aimed at turning the federal workforce into a bureaucracy of loyalists by stripping federal employees of certain protections and making it easier to fire them.
* Paoletta is a close friend of Justice Clarence Thomas, and joined Thomas on the infamous island-hopping trip to Indonesia in 2019 with billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, which was first reported by ProPublica ([link removed]) last year.
* We previously obtained emails from OMB in which Paoletta sought approval or informed an ethics officer about the Indonesia trip, as well as a 2019 trip to Jackson Hole. See the records and more details here. ([link removed])


Trump also announced that Kari Lake was his pick for director of Voice of America ([link removed]) (VOA), the government-funded news broadcasting channel. VOA journalists have expressed serious concern ([link removed]) about whether Lake — who falsely claimed fraud in both Trump’s 2020 loss and her defeat in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race — will seek to use the outlet to promote Trump or his political goals.
* VOA was a target during the first Trump administration. We previously sued the U.S. Agency for Global Media ([link removed]) (USAGM) — the entity that oversees VOA — for the communications of former CEO Michael Pack, who, during less than eight months as head of the agency, took a number of actions that threatened to undermine the agency’s work and to turn it into a pro-Trump political operation.
* Records we obtained shed light on internal turmoil at USAGM thanks to Pack’s controversial personnel decisions and his and other Trump allies’ efforts to delay the J-1 visa renewal process ([link removed]) for USAGM journalists.
* We also obtained communication records sent by Trump loyalists who were hired by Pack to work in various senior positions at USAGM. A federal investigation into Pack’s tenure later revealed his extensive abuses of power ([link removed]) in the role.

On the Records

Religious Education in Oklahoma Public Schools
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters has drawn major scrutiny for his efforts to enshrine religion in public school curriculum, including his recent mandate that state schools teach the Bible ([link removed]) .

Records we obtained, cited in a New York Times Magazine article ([link removed]) published this week, include a draft document titled “Putting God Back in the Classroom” that was circulated by Walters’ staff in October 2023.
* The document touts Walters’ creation of the Oklahoma Advisory Committee on Founding Principles, the passing of rules that could limit discussions of sexuality and gender, and the state’s partnership with right-wing media organization PragerU.
* We also obtained records that indicate Walters was invited last year to serve on the Heritage Foundation Advisory Council on Education Reform.
* We have filed requests for Walters’ communications related to curriculum reviews and with far-right groups or other state education agencies, and in August sent a letter ([link removed]) demanding the release of these documents.


Oshkosh Defense’s Electric Mail Truck Fleet Contract
In February 2021, the U.S. Postal Service awarded ([link removed]) a highly coveted, multibillion-dollar contract for a new fleet of mail trucks to Oshkosh Defense ([link removed]) , a company that primarily makes gas-fueled military vehicles. This week, the Washington Post ([link removed]) reported that the contractor has delivered just 93 electric trucks as of November. It was originally expected to deliver 3,000.

Oshkosh Defense’s design drew criticism for not going far enough in making the agency’s fleet more environmentally friendly. American Oversight previously obtained records ([link removed]) highlighting the gap between the 2021 plan and USPS’s environmental evaluation criteria.
* The documents include the original evaluation criteria that USPS used to select a new fleet manufacturer. The criteria explicitly mentioned fuel efficiency and a “path to alternate fuel vehicles” among the factors USPS would be considering.
* We also obtained Oshkosh’s initial contract ([link removed]) of nearly $482 million.


Other Stories We're Following

Trump Administration
* ‘Cynical cash grab’: FBI chief nominee Kash Patel’s profitable links in the non-profit world (Guardian ([link removed]) )
* Trump’s DOJ secretly obtained records of his FBI pick Kash Patel, lawmakers, staffers and media in leak investigations (CNN ([link removed]) )
* The Trump NIH pick who wants to take on ‘cancel culture’ colleges (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Trump’s DOJ civil rights pick built her name antagonizing California Democrats (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Jeff Bezos’ Amazon plans to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Justice Department’s storied Civil Rights Division will fight DEI under Trump (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Meet the Trump nominees selling vitamins on the side (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Donald Trump controls a publicly traded company. Now he will pick its regulator. (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Trump's border czar will be in White House, not an agency. Here's why that matters (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Former Trump attorney lashes out at ‘lawfare’ after court appearance in Wisconsin fake electors case (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Trump says he’ll pardon Jan. 6 defendants in first hour back in White House (The Hill ([link removed]) )


State and National News
* Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Wisconsin attorney general adds 10 charges against defendants in fake electors case (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ([link removed]) )
* Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies (Stateline ([link removed]) )
* FBI missed 'basic step' when gathering intel in the lead-up to Jan. 6, DOJ watchdog finds (NBC News ([link removed]) )


LGBTQ Rights
* Montana Supreme Court upholds lower court ruling that allows gender-affirming care for minors (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* New Florida prison policy on trans health care ‘like conversion therapy’ (Marshall Project ([link removed]) )
* After Republican electoral victories, GOP anti-trans student bills are back (AZ Mirror ([link removed]) )


Abortion and Reproductive Rights
* Appeals court considers next step for emergency abortion care in Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) )
* Democrats push to protect the data privacy of people seeking abortions (19th News ([link removed]) )
* A Coast Guard commander miscarried. She nearly died after being denied care. (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Watchdog urges Louisiana to investigate crisis pregnancy center over data breach (New Orleans Public Radio ([link removed]) )
* Campaign finance records don’t capture total spending on Amarillo abortion ‘travel ban’ election (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )


Threats to Education
* GOP states are embracing vouchers. Wealthy parents are benefitting. (Politico ([link removed]) )
* WV school board approves more school closures, counties struggling to fund public education (West Virginia Watch ([link removed].) )
* Virginia county votes to exert control over library that defended LGBTQ books (Washington Post ([link removed]) )


Government Transparency and Public Records Law
* Las Cruces recommends tighter public records access (Source New Mexico ([link removed]'s%20proposed%20changes%20included,licenses%2C%20and%20dozens%20more%20requests.) )
* Disability group sues Florida, saying it's not releasing public records on Baker Act (Tallahassee Democrat ([link removed]) )


Immigration
* Immigration judges want union back ahead of Trump deportations (Axios ([link removed]) )
* Miller outlines how Trump administration would prioritize mass deportations (Axios ([link removed]) )
* Trump plans to scrap policy restricting ICE arrests at churches, schools and hospitals (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* Chicago to be ground zero for mass deportations, Trump border czar tells Illinois Republicans (Chicago Sun-Times ([link removed]) )
* NYC Mayor Adams considers executive orders to repeal sanctuary city laws (Documented ([link removed]) )
* At least 17 Texas National Guardsman died patrolling the southern border, including several suicides (Texas Public Radio ([link removed]) )
* Family separations persist. In some cases, the government doesn’t say why. (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Virginia Gov. Youngkin aims at stamping out ‘sanctuary cities’ in new plan (Washington Post ([link removed]) )


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