“The Trump administration is pushing the limits of an obscure federal law that restricts nominees from serving in federal positions before they’re approved by the Senate,” Politico reports.

A review “has identified four officials at three different agencies doing substantially similar work to the position for which they have been nominated – despite not yet getting a green-light from the Senate.”

“Lawyers and other experts said the moves to have unconfirmed nominees show up for work appears to skirt the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which prohibits most people who have been nominated to fill a vacant government position from performing that office’s duties in an acting capacity.”

President Trump “has personally interviewed at least two potential candidates for U.S. attorney positions in New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter — a move that critics say raises questions about whether they can be sufficiently independent from the president,” Politico reports.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) unleashed some of his strongest criticism of President Trump, saying the exchange the commander-in-chief had with the family of a fallen soldier and the follow-up “was incredibly disgraceful and discouraging and depressing,” the Boston Globe reports.