Political Wire

Trump Appoints Critic of Ex-Im Bank to Lead It

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Just a few days after declaring his support of the Export-Import Bank, President Trump will nominate former Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), a leading critic of the bank, to head it, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Garrett voted in 2012 and in 2015 against renewing the charter of the Ex-Im Bank, which guarantees loans for companies that export U.S. products. Mr. Garrett, a New Jersey Republican who served seven terms in the House, lost a bitterly contested election in November to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).”

Garrett called the Ex-Im Bank a “corporate welfare program” and said it is “crony capitalism.”

Playbook: “To those who say Trump’s decision-making process is becoming more linear — explain putting a staunch opponent of the Export-Import Bank at its helm just days after the president trumpeted its import… Most people don’t know what the Export-Import bank is, or does, so putting someone atop the bank who wants to destroy it won’t garner a ton of attention. But it’s a pretty clear sign that Trump isn’t quietly abandoning his unconventional approach to governing.”

Defeated GOP Lawmaker Won’t Coordinate Transition

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Rep.-elect Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) told the Bergen County Record that Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) “has not returned his calls or responded to a certified letter asking about a transition, especially to ensure constituent requests do not fall through the cracks.”

“While polarizing politics is all too common, Garrett’s apparent unwillingness to discuss a transition with his successor is not.”

Money Dries Up After Lawmaker’s Anti-Gay Remarks

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Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), “who heads an influential House subcommittee overseeing the U.S. capital markets, is facing a revolt by corporate and Wall Street donors after he reportedly made anti-gay remarks at a private meeting of Republican lawmakers,” Bloomberg reports.

“Earlier this month, in what financial lobbyists said was a sign of things to come, the Big 4 accounting firms and their trade association abruptly canceled a fundraising event for the New Jersey Republican. In addition, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has decided to stop making political action committee donations to Garrett.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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