Assignment:
Donald Trump ran for the presidency in 2016 pledging to "drain the swamp." While the phrase is somewhat ambiguous, most interpreted Trump's pledge as a promise to rid the bureaucracy of officials beholden to special interests.
One of the most powerful ways for any president to influence the bureaucracy is by appointing new individuals to top leadership positions within executive departments and agencies. For this homework assignment, please select one of President Trump's appointments as a cabinet secretary or as a head of a major agency, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Do not select a nominee to a federal judgeship. Then, please answer the following three questions/tasks about your chosen appointment:
1. In a short paragraph (3 to 4 sentences), briefly describe the nominee's background before being appointed.
2. Rcad at least four articles about the appointment, two from a liberal-leaning source (MSNBC, Slate, The New Republic) and two from a conservative-leaning source (e.g. Fox News; the National Review; the Washington Times). In a brief paragraph, please describe their coverage of the nominee. Did the substance and tone of the coverage differ across liberal and conservative media outlets? If so, how?
3. Finally, in your assessment did President Trump's selection of this person serve the goal of "draining the swamp"? Why or why not (in approximately 3 to 4 sentences)?