President Trump smiles during a reception with congressional leaders on Jan. 23 at the White House in Washington, D.C.(NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Working for the Trump administration can be quite a party.
The White House office in charge of recruiting and vetting political appointees under President Trump is staffed by a crew of young, inexperienced administrators who host happy hour parties, play drinking games and spend their time vaping in the office, according to a report Friday.
The PPO, which stands for Presidential Personnel Office, not Presidential Party Office, is located on the first floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across the street from the White House.
The office is populated by former Trump campaigners and the friends and friends and relatives of top officials, according to the Washington Post.
Young staffers from all parts of the administration are drawn to the anything goes atmosphere of the office.
Parties include sophomoric games such as “Icing,” in which someone is forced to chug a bottle of Smirnoff Ice.
Workers lounge on couches and puff on electronic cigarettes, partake in frat party antics and imbibe beer, wine and snacks, the Washington Post found.
The White House admitted that some shindigs were held in the office that involved alcohol, but marked the in-house happy hours up to hard workers blowing off steam.
The White House admitted that some shindigs were held in the office that involved alcohol, but marked the in-house happy hours up to hard workers blowing off steam. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Officials also admitted to the Post that the office “is a much smaller PPO than at any time in recent history.”
It is nearly a third of the size of past administrations.
While White House officials constantly gripe that Democrats in the Senate are hamstringing the President’s efforts to fill key vacancies, records show that Trump has sent far fewer nominations to Capitol Hill.
“Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors,” he tweeted in January. “They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals.”
Republicans control the Senate.
The PPO is responsible for recruiting and vetting candidates for more than 4,000 jobs, more than 1,200 of which require Senate approval.
A portion of the 30-odd staffers in the PPO came straight from the Trump campaign, officials admitted to the Post.
The office is in part run by two former campaign workers who both have criminal records and questionable resumes.
One, Max Miller, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps Reserves, said a LinkedIn resume which incorrectly listed him as a Marine recruiter was made by a family member.
In 2007, Miller was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in Ohio after punching another man in the back of the head and running away from police, according to police records obtained by the Post.
He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges, and the case was later dismissed as part of a program for first offenders, the paper reported.
The other is Caroline Wiles, the daughter of a Florida lobbyist who worked for the Trump campaign and never finished her college degree, according to the Post.
In 2005, she had her driver’s license suspended for driving while intoxicated, police records show. In 2007, she was arrested for driving while intoxicated and arrested for trying to make a purchase with a “worthless check.”
She was found guilty of a misdemeanor for driving under the influence, and the charge related to bad check was dropped in a plea agreement, the paper reported.
She works as a special assistant to the President, a post that typically pays $115,000.
- ny news
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