Latest news with #Grenell
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Pro-Trump Kennedy Center executive says he was fired
Advertisement It was not immediately clear what activities he was involved with at the center. The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment made outside business hours Thursday. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Brown said Thursday that his requests for an explanation for his dismissal and to speak with Grenell, who during the president's first term was recognized as America's first gay Cabinet member, have been ignored. Brown claimed that he was told he would be fired if he did not recant his position on 'traditional marriage.' 'Needless to say, I refused to recant and was shown the door,' he wrote. Brown was the operative behind the racist Willie Horton attack ads during the 1988 presidential campaign. He later promoted conspiracy theories about Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, too. Brown has also made comments denigrating homosexuality in the past. In an archived page from one of his defunct websites, he lamented the victories of 'secular pro-gay culture.' Advertisement 'Comments rooted in my personal Christian views, which I have made in the past, have no impact upon my work here at the Kennedy Center nor do they impinge on my interactions with colleagues,' Brown wrote in his X post. 'I have never intended to attack or demean any person in my statements, and have always shared the mission of Jesus, striving to love others unconditionally.' This is the latest episode in months of upheaval at the Kennedy Center. Trump stunned the cultural world in February when he made himself chair of the Kennedy Center and purged its previously bipartisan board of Biden-era appointees, making his loyalist Grenell the president. Trump's actions have prompted criticism, and some artists have canceled their engagements at the center in protest. Grenell has culled the Kennedy Center's staff, saying it faces serious financial problems. He has also denounced some of the center's efforts to embrace diversity, saying it should promote 'common sense programming.' This article originally appeared in
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
White House nixed visit with freed Venezuela detainee Joseph St. Clair over outstanding arrest warrants
WASHINGTON — The Secret Service rejected a request to bring an American detainee freed from Venezuelan custody to the White House last week — because they would have had to arrest him on the spot due to outstanding warrants, The Post has learned. Joseph St. Clair, 32, an Afghanistan war veteran who had been held in the South American country since this past November, has a record in his home state of Texas, the Ellis County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday. Joseph St. Clair, left, and special envoy Ric Grenell en route to the US May 20. Richard Grenell via REUTERS St. Clair, of Austin, was arrested in June 2023 on three counts of drug possession, resisting arrest, and driving while intoxicated. A little more than a year later, in July 2024, St. Clair was booked again on a DWI charge. A report from the Waxahachie Police Department on the June 2023 incident claimed arresting officers pulled St. Clair over after he was driving erratically on Interstate 35 and reported a white powdery substance on his nose. A search of St. Clair's truck revealed 'at least a dozen' baggies of ketamine or ketamine residue — some of which he admitted to snorting before he left his house — and two vials of anabolic steroids. The arresting officers noted that St. Clair had also been picked up on a DWI rap in April 2023, a case which was pending at the time of his apprehension. The request to bring St. Clair to the White House was put in by special envoy Ric Grenell, who flew to the Caribbean island of Antigua on a private jet to pick up the freed American May 20, as The Post reported Friday. Upon his return to Washington, Grenell asked Trump if he could bring St. Clair by the executive mansion for a celebration, as has been done with other freed US detainees. The request was initially approved, but was then shut down after the Secret Service learned of St. Clair's criminal history, according to multiple sources. 'He [Grenell] was told no by Secret Service who alerted for White House staff that if this individual were to (come) to the White House, he would be arrested at the gate because of his outstanding warrants,' said one administration official. 'Why the hell would we ever allow that to happen and embarrass the president?' Joseph St. Clair has a criminal record in his home state of Texas. Facebook/Joe There is no evidence Grenell was aware of St. Clair's legal trouble. The special envoy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House has yet to release a statement about St. Clair's return — despite just two weeks earlier highlighting four other Americans released from overseas captivity since Trump took office Jan. 20. Grenell's trip to fetch St. Clair caught many in the administration by surprise, with one informed source saying last week the envoy had 'blindsided the president and the White House.' A second administration official said Tuesday that Grenell briefly informed Trump of his plan to bring back St. Clair, but confirmed that the White House and State Department were unaware of any travel plans. 'There is a process, protocol and chain of command, especially in the context of high-stakes diplomacy,' a source close to the administration warned. 'Intentionally bypassing the secretary of state, blindsiding the White House and misleading the president isn't just reckless, it's damaging. 'No one gets to play pretend for the job they wanted. You must execute in good faith within the role you're actually in.' On the same day Grenell retrieved St. Clair, he claimed on former White House strategist Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast that Trump would extend a May 27 deadline for Chevron to leave Venezuela by an additional 60 days after Maduro showed willingness to work with the White House by releasing St. Clair. Chevron was instead offered a license to keep up essential maintenance on its $7 billion worth of equipment in Venezuela, but it will not be allowed to use the equipment to pump oil for sale. Trump is also keeping in place 25% tariffs on any country that imports Venezuelan oil.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump Venezuela envoy Ric Grenell in hot water over unapproved jet trip to pick up US detainee
President Trump's special envoy Ric Grenell 'blindsided' administration officials earlier this week by taking a private jet to Antigua without prior authorization to pick up an American held for the past six months by Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, The Post can exclusively reveal. Grenell announced Tuesday that he had flown to Antigua to bring Air Force veteran Joe St. Clair back to the United States, posting a picture of the two winging it back to Washington, DC. But the 58-year-old had gone around Trump's back to do so, an informed administration source told The Post, saying: 'Grenell blindsided the president and the White House.' Insiders believe Grenell's trip was a Hail Mary attempt to pressure Trump to extend Chevron's license to import Venezuelan oil — which is set to expire May 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Wednesday on X. Advertisement The envoy's freelancing briefly threatened House passage of the president's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' with three South Florida Republicans — Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez — refusing to give their backing if the Chevron license was extended, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. The congressional drama was first reported Friday by Axios, and the bill ultimately cleared the House 215-214, with all three Floridians voting 'yea.' In February, Trump revoked all licenses to operate US-based businesses in Venezuela, expressing frustration with Maduro, whose government declared him the winner of last year's presidential election without releasing vote tallies or otherwise providing proof. Advertisement 'We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022, and also having to do with Electoral conditions within Venezuela, which have not been met by the Maduro regime,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Feb. 26. 'Additionally, the regime has not been transporting the violent criminals that they sent into our Country (the Good Ole' U.S.A.) back to Venezuela at the rapid pace that they had agreed to,' he added. On March 24, the president doubled down, issuing an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on any country that imports Venezuelan oil. Ahead of Grenell's Caribbean jaunt on Tuesday, he claimed on former White House strategist Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast that Trump would extend the May 27 deadline an additional 60 days after Maduro showed willingness to work with the White House by releasing St. Clair. Advertisement 'President Trump authorized that extension if, if we were able to get some progress, if we were able to build some confidence, if we were able to do that today,' Grenell told Bannon. 'So that extension will be granted.' Grenell also talked up Chevron's presence in Venezuela, telling Bannon: 'We want to put America first and do what's best for America. That means making sure that the Chinese do not take the Venezuelan oil.' The envoy's statement caused widespread confusion, with reporters on Thursday asking State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce to 'explain the discrepancy.' 'The Secretary … put up a tweet making it clear where we stand on Chevron, which is a license which is due to expire in May,' she said. 'What I will speak to is not what others have said, but certainly the people who are in charge of the nature of what we are doing, and that is Secretary Rubio, making it clear that that license is going to expire.' Advertisement 'So there's no confusion. I think many people on every issue can have a lot of opinions, but I think clearly who we look to are the people who have the power to have the impact and who make the decision, and of course this is at the direction of President Trump, as well.' The State Department told The Post in a statement Wednesday that the 'Biden-era oil and gas licenses … benefitted Maduro's regime and lined the pockets of his cronies,' explaining that the administration would continue to 'deny any funding the Maduro regime uses to oppress the Venezuelan people. ' 'This termination executes on the President's directive and cuts off financial lifelines for a regime that has consistently stolen elections, pillaged from its people, and colluded with our enemies.' Grenell, who had sought the secretary of state position before Trump selected Rubio, did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid DOJ scrutiny, Live Nation taps Trump ally to sit on board
On the long list of people from Donald Trump's inner circle who are personally benefiting from his second-term agenda, Richard Grenell might be flying under your radar. Grenell — the former U.S. ambassador to Germany and staunch MAGA ally whom Trump named his 'special missions envoy' in the current administration — has become one of Trump's liaisons to the entertainment world, as the administration works to flex its power over the industry. As the president was mounting his takeover of the Kennedy Center, Trump named Grenell as its president. More recently, Grenell was named to the board of Live Nation, the live performance company that's facing a Justice Department lawsuit over alleged monopolistic practices, as well as an investigation into the company's pandemic-era refund policies (Live Nation has denied wrongdoing in both cases). Now, you might ask, 'Doesn't this seem a little ... conspicuous?' And sure, a company hiring one of the president's advisers to a lucrative board position while that company fights federal scrutiny of its business practices sounds like the kind of scenario one might sooner expect to see under a kleptocracy like Russia's. (There's a great book, by the way, on these types of arrangements: Bill Browder's 'Red Notice,' which I highly recommend.) Live Nation said in a news release that the move 'will help support Live Nation's mission to bring more live music to the world, while also advocating for industry reforms that protect both fans and artists.' For the record, CNN reported that Grenell 'has numerous Hollywood connections, but he doesn't bring extensive entertainment industry experience to the board.' And multiple music industry executives slammed the move in comments to The Hollywood Reporter, framing it as an 'obvious' attempt by Live Nation to curry favor with the Trump administration. The arrangement seems similar to Meta placing UFC president and Trump ally Dana White on its board. It remains to be seen whether Grenell's presence on Live Nation's board actually brings 'industry reforms that protect both fans and artists,' as the company claims, or if, rather, this is precisely what critics believe: the latest example of a company doing favors for the president or his allies to get on his good side. This article was originally published on
France 24
22-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
State Dept says Chevron must leave Venezuela, even as American freed
President Donald Trump's administration has canceled an exemption in sanctions on Venezuela, run by leftist Nicolas Maduro, that had been granted by former president Joe Biden under a previous deal. Ric Grenell, a Trump loyalist who holds a broad role of "special presidential envoy for special missions," on Tuesday flew back to the United States with a freed US military veteran, Joe St. Clair, who had been detained in Venezuela since November. Grenell, who secured St. Clair's release in talks in Antigua, said after his return to Washington that Trump believed in "engagement." Asked in an interview with pro-Trump media personality Steve Bannon about Chevron, Grenell said, "President Trump authorized that extension if we were able to get some progress, if we were able to build some confidence." "We were able to do that today. So that extension will be granted," Grenell told Bannon's "War Room" podcast. "We want to put America first and do what's best for America. That means making sure that the Chinese do not take the Venezuelan oil," he said. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Trump's national security advisor, promptly wrote on X late Wednesday: "The pro-Maduro Biden oil license in Venezuela will expire as scheduled next Tuesday May 27th." Asked about the contradicting messages, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio was "making it clear that that license is going to expire." "There's no confusion. I think many people, on every issue, can have a lot of opinions, but I think clearly who we look to are the people who have the power to have the impact and who make the decision," Bruce said. Rubio, a Cuban-American and former senator from Florida, is a vociferous opponent of Latin American leftists including in Venezuela and Cuba. Maduro is angling to sweep power in parliamentary and regional elections on Sunday, 10 months after his disputed re-election. Only a handful of countries, including longtime allies Russia and Cuba, have recognized the 62-year-old's presidency. Grenell, early in Trump's term, traveled to Venezuela which agreed to send planes to bring back undocumented migrants, a key Trump priority. The deal drew outrage from Florida Republicans in the narrowly divided House of Representatives who instead want more robust support for Venezuela's democratic opposition.
