Why does anyone listen to Sarah Sanders?

Her boss lies.

She lies to promote his lies. Her rare press briefings are worthless. Today, she took the side of a criminal instead of the side of law enforcement.

“No,” Sarah Sanders says when asked if she would amend her statement that Flynn was “ambushed” by the FBI, even though Flynn and his attorneys said in court today he was not entrapped in his interview when he lied to the FBI and was aware he lied

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 18, 2018

"The FBI broke standard protocol in the way that they came in and ambushed General Flynn," @PressSec says after Flynn admitted today in court that he lied to FBI under oath.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 18, 2018

It is so damn galling to hear the WH press secretary attacking the FBI for doing its job and catching a criminal in the act rather than being mad at the criminal who lied not just to the FBI, but supposedly also to people in the WH.

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) December 18, 2018

Sarah Sanders said it's "perfectly acceptable" for the president to make positive comments about someone who has admitted to lying to agents of his own government and who worked, unregistered, on behalf of another government during his campaign.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 18, 2018

Sarah Huckaby Sanders saying the FBI “ambushed” Mike Flynn is the most pathetic, disingenuous thing I’ve heard her say, and that takes in an awful lot.

— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) December 18, 2018

Sanders said today the WH is not looking for the taxpayers to pay for the wall while at the same time said the WH is looking to other agencies to find wall funding. Is @presssec aware that agencies of the federal government are funded by taxpayers?

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) December 18, 2018

The catch-22: Sarah Sanders/White House says they need a government bill to consider signing and are disappointed they don't have one. Senate and House folks say they aren't sure what the president will support.

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) December 18, 2018

"The president has been clear that the USMCA deal would provide additional revenue through that deal that would show that Mexico is paying for the wall," Sarah Sanders tells ABC News' @TerryMoran when asked if American taxpayers will pay for the wall https://t.co/Pqd36RbV0f pic.twitter.com/OnBlTZCp8W

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 18, 2018

Trump turnover

updated through Zinke

Trump seems like a terrible boss:

he’ll interview replacements for you while you’re still in the job
he’ll criticize you publicly and privately
he’ll blame you when things go wrong
he’ll lie

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is the latest to leave the Trump administration. Here are the other resignations and departures since Trump's inauguration. https://t.co/eNKi7tChiZ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 15, 2018

Good riddance to Zinke

I am sure he would have been gone once Democrats did real oversight in 2019. He sure seems to be a crook.

SCOOP: A grand jury examining whether former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lied to federal investigators in connection with a Connecticut casino deal. Via @eilperin and @reinlwapo https://t.co/aqiGDbWM1f
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) February 22, 2019

Bottom line is that while Zinke left office, prosecutors and IG investigators are aggressively pursuing what could be a criminal case. https://t.co/oboQonyszS
— Lisa Rein (@Reinlwapo) February 22, 2019

Scoop: Ryan Zinke has notified the White House he intends to step down as interior secretary.

Concern about legal costs and scrutiny of his travel, political activity and potential conflicts of interest were factors in Zinke’s decision, I’m told.

Plan is to announce Wednesday.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 15, 2018

With Zinke out, it’s a good time to reup one of the great stories of the Trump administration — @Reinlwapo on Zinke making aides fly a special flag at Interior when he is “in garrison” https://t.co/D2HSHXBeUu
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 15, 2018

10 of Trump’s original Cabinet-level picks will be out by next year, with Zinke next per Bloomberg sources.
ZINKE❌
PRICE❌
KELLY❌
SESSIONS❌
TILLERSON❌
SHULKIN❌
PRUITT*❌
HALEY*❌
PRIEBUS*❌
PUZDER**❌
*Cabinet-level
**Didn’t make it to confirmation
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) December 15, 2018

Quite a turn for Zinke. He had been weighing challenging Tester in 2018, where he would have been the favorite. But Don Jr successfully lobbied he get Interior. Now he leaves Interior under ethical cloud and GOP lost Montana Senate race despite heavy Trump campaigning
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 15, 2018

WH official tells me Zinke's exit necessary. Why? Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will soon take gavel at Natural Res. Cmmte.

Since Zinke has taken personal shots at Grijalva for his struggles w/ alcoholism, official says the WH, already embattled, wants to avoid brutal/newsy Zinke hearings.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) December 15, 2018

In early 2018, Zinke created a new outdoor recreation panel whose members included insiders from the oil, gas, and mining industries, as well as people with ties to trophy huntinghttps://t.co/v3Gsk3M3Tj
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 15, 2018

Cannot-Make-It-Up Department. Interior Secretary under investigation for allegedly trying to enrich himself in office wouldn't leave job until he could have Christmas party with lobbyists and take pictures in front of stuffed polar bear https://t.co/SLfl8ZYtnl
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) December 15, 2018

Zinke out at end of the year. Here’s our list of the investigations he faces: https://t.co/MtH6lUxr4Q https://t.co/RjyqyX4NaN
— Lisa Friedman (@LFFriedman) December 15, 2018

Ryan Zinke has racked up 17 federal investigations in under two years as Secretary of the Interior https://t.co/3ThUtTBl3J
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) December 15, 2018

Ryan Zinke resigned under pressure as administration officials concluded he was the most vulnerable Cabinet member to congressional investigations when Dems take over in January, @eilperin & @jdawsey1 report. His tenure was plagued by ethics scandals. https://t.co/kdyl9l3seA
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 15, 2018

VA Secretary praised Jefferson Davis

Read the entire story. This isn't just your standard Confederate nostalgia. Incredible. https://t.co/YJ4LCX83g7

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) December 7, 2018

Wilkie spoke to a pro-Confederates as recently as 2009, speaking on Lee to a group headed by a prominent neo-Confederate which had on it's webpage a proclamation calling Union-occupation of Maryland "oppression" and "tyranny" and "terrible despotism." https://t.co/82m21u57Zj

— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) December 7, 2018

Trump has damaged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

After Trump, it will be hard to rebuild agencies he has gutted such as the CFPB, EPA and State Department. It will be hard to recruit people to work there who believe in the agency missions. Trump shows their work can just be dumped.

from the article

“Publicly announced enforcement actions by the bureau have dropped by about 75 percent from average in recent years, while consumer complaints have risen to new highs, according to a Washington Post analysis of bureau data.

Over the past year, the agency’s workforce has dropped by at least 129 employees amid the largest exodus since its creation in 2010, agency data shows.”

The inside story of how Trump appointees curbed a consumer protection agency, achieving what had eluded Capitol Hill conservatives https://t.co/nG6UXEUE3y

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 4, 2018

Labor Secretary Acosta

update 12/3/18

"A Democratic group of lawmakers is calling for a Justice Department investigation into Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta after a scathing report revealed decade-old allegations that he granted an alleged serial pedophile the “deal of a lifetime’’ …"https://t.co/wn8On317aL

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 4, 2018

“Acosta's starring role in the Epstein mess means that he has no business heading up a Department with forced labor, child exploitation and human trafficking responsibilities," writes @LizMair https://t.co/63TOIH2xOu

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 4, 2018

I have been harping about this for days and still don’t know why none of these takes explore the fact that the Senate and the White House knew about this when Acosta was confirmed. It changes the dynamic immensely. https://t.co/bXIpJwwZjR

— Ian Kullgren (@IanKullgren) December 4, 2018

Miami Herald reporter @jkbjournalist says on @ReliableSources that she had to convince victims the Herald would actually publish the Acosta story, because they feared someone higher up at McClatchy would shut the story down.

— Rebecca Rainey (@RebeccaARainey) December 2, 2018

update 11/29/18

Trump labor secretary out of running for attorney general after report https://t.co/6N7S5zUakT

— Wendy Benjaminson (@wbenjaminson) November 29, 2018

Superb story about how Labor Secretary Alex Acosta let predator Jeffrey Epstein cut an unusual deal that even granted immunity to "any potential co-conspirators." The deal "essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims." https://t.co/FD3jr8tAP2

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 28, 2018

Kushner pushed the State and Defense departments inflate the value of the Saudi arms deals

This is an excuse to support the Saudis and accept their lies about the murder of Khashoggi.

From Day 1, the Saudis told Kushner their interest was in A TOTAL of $15 Bil of arms (which has yet to be completed).
Kushner pushed for the Saudi arms deal “headline” to read $110 Bil.
All while he pursued the Saudis to finance 666 5th & family assets.
https://t.co/vfXbuhwvLn

— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) November 27, 2018

Jared Kushner pushed State and Defense Department officials to inflate the Saudi arms deal to $110 billion, two U.S. officials and three former White House officials tell ABC News. Jim Mattis reportedly supported Kushner's effort. https://t.co/keZQOHMQ6I

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 26, 2018

Congress must investigate Trump’s and Jared Kushner's financial dealings with Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman and resulting conflicts of interest. https://t.co/JM5Mdw1ovw

MbS once reportedly bragged about having Kushner “in his pocket”https://t.co/MXD1vP5mHN

— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) November 21, 2018

Ivanka Trump used a personal email account for government business

Word clouds about the 2016 election consistently showed that “emails” were THE big, defining thing people took away from Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, both due to the Republicans’ hyper-focus, Russia’s actions, and the media coverage. And now… well let’s see how this plays out. https://t.co/PAYaBijCvR

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) November 19, 2018

BREAKING: Ivanka Trump has been busted for using a personal email account for hundreds of emails about Govt. business – @washingtonpost

Reporter @CarolLeonnig who broke the store joins #TheBeat now: pic.twitter.com/KJl50JzWbG

— TheBeat w/Ari Melber (@TheBeatWithAri) November 19, 2018

Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to send hundreds of emails about government business last year, @CarolLeonnig @jdawsey1 scoop: https://t.co/EQLJnB3jTP

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) November 19, 2018

Whitaker update – 11/15/18

update 12/4/18

Proud to have signed this. And in case anyone’s wondering, this isn’t normal. DOJ alums regularly signing letters by the hundreds protesting department actions didn’t happen during the Obama admin or in previous admins that I’m aware of. https://t.co/66FhupwXbj

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) December 4, 2018

How Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker is even more Nixonian than Nixon: https://t.co/bUQ4eCJWWx pic.twitter.com/ppYQPLW8k3

— Slate (@Slate) November 15, 2018

We @CREWcrew are not going to normalize this. A president can't pick his own prosecutor in his own case. Especially a prosecutor who has already prejudged the matter–and has conflicted relationships with those involved. That's corruption, not rule of law: https://t.co/1a5Gn7AyMo

— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) November 15, 2018

It's as bad as it looks. Trump hired Mark Whitaker at DOJ for exactly the reasons you suspect. https://t.co/kuFCdPqo2u pic.twitter.com/eCvJOS379k

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) November 15, 2018

Though modestly titled, this is an imposingly comprehensive dissection of the legality of Whitaker’s appointment. I disagree with key parts of it but agree that the 1898 Eaton precedent invoked by OLC actually HURTS Trump’s constitutional case. @jedshug https://t.co/RZkaFTxB5N

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 15, 2018

‘He was yelling’: Whitaker pushed back against early fraud complaints about company he advised via @thamburger @CarolLeonnig @PostRoz https://t.co/CTLPQVdlUR

— Brooke Anne Lorenz (@BrookeLorenz) November 15, 2018

Trump has another Lester Holt moment, this one even more explicitly admitting that he swapped out Sessions for Whitaker because he sees the whole Mueller investigation as illegal despite what courts have held. https://t.co/7vlAzyUvTI

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 15, 2018

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is a climate skeptic who thinks investigating Big Oil is unconstitutional: https://t.co/qwEaHphrNz pic.twitter.com/izgpSUKswS

— Slate (@Slate) November 15, 2018

The nation’s top attorney was also no standout lawyer when Bush appointee him US attorney in Iowa: Whitaker cited a personal-injury case and a dispute involving a dry-cleaning business as his most consequential legal work. By @ShawnBoburg and @robertoharrow

— Aaron C. Davis (@byaaroncdavis) November 15, 2018

First time Trump has referred to “inner workings” of Mueller investigation. What has his hatchet man Matt Whitaker told him? Whitaker now probably has full access to the files. https://t.co/G10GSu21QM

— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) November 15, 2018

There is an easy way Whitaker can credibly assure all of us that he won't interfere with the Mueller probe: recuse. https://t.co/KLj7Ouqxfk

— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) November 15, 2018

DOJ also keeps attributing denials to Whitaker. This is what WH staff do when they don’t want false denials/conspiracy theories to blow back on them. https://t.co/n3vDbQrHcq pic.twitter.com/OSfZWZaq9Z

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 15, 2018

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article referred to Matthew Whitaker as a football "star." With 200 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons at Iowa, it appears he was an unspectacular player.

We regret the error. https://t.co/GY9WeYfLMb

— Esquire (@esquire) November 14, 2018

Matthew Whitaker has denied, through a DOJ spokesperson, being aware of World Patent Marketing’s alleged fraud.

Turns out he fought back against such allegations when they appeared on a website. https://t.co/QJaolPVshj

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 15, 2018

Did they vet him? At all?https://t.co/XeMbR1wrGE

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) November 13, 2018

The chief law enforcement officer of the United States was a board member for a company that "wanted to create an entire community around Bigfoot believers called Squatch World, including hosting a celebrity event called 'You Have Been Squatched!'" This is real life. https://t.co/tGy4yuq5OU

— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) November 15, 2018

NEW: Deep scrub of Whitaker shows his shorthand bio – US Atty – is an aberration. He’s an entrepreneur who has over promised and has ended up in court defending his ventures, including a concrete supply business, a trailer manufacturer and day-care center. https://t.co/6jqCaCKx8j

— Aaron C. Davis (@byaaroncdavis) November 15, 2018

Trump’s record cabinet turnover

"I will be making changes on various things.” — Donald Trumphttps://t.co/SPFJ7VJHZU

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) November 14, 2018

9 Cabinet officials left in Obama's entire first term.

Same as have left Trump administration in less than 2 years https://t.co/2OkE6iqh8Y

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) November 14, 2018

In George W. Bush's first 4 years in office, 4 Cabinet members left.

In less than 2 years, 9 Trump Cabinet officials have left.https://t.co/tYGDDnbhZ5

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) November 14, 2018

Kelly as the "adult in the room" was always a myth. He's a bigot who hurt citizens — including veterans and military widows — acted as a supplicant to an aspiring autocrat, and disgraced our country. https://t.co/UIPNUOkBIF

— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) November 13, 2018