Photo: Anthony Behar, Bloomberg
President-elect Donald Trump, seen in an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York,
President-elect Donald Trump, seen in an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York,
Photo: Anthony Behar, Bloomberg
Photo: 2016 The Washington Post
Image 3 of 21
|
Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State
The ExxonMobil CEO is Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state. Tillerson has no experience in government, but has extensive business ties with Russia.
The ExxonMobil CEO is Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state. Tillerson has no experience in government, but has extensive business ties with Russia.
Photo: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images
Image 4 of 21
|
Steven Mnuchin, Treasury
Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary nominee for President-elect Donald Trump is a Yale University graduate with extensive financial industry experience at Goldman Sachs and multiple hedge funds, Mnuchin will have a key role in administration policy toward hedge funds and other esoteric financial firms.
lessSteven Mnuchin, treasury secretary nominee for President-elect Donald Trump is a Yale University graduate with extensive financial industry experience at Goldman Sachs and multiple hedge funds, Mnuchin will
... more
Image 5 of 21
|
James Mattis, Defense
Gen. James Mattis retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in 2013 and has since served as a consultant and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Gen. James Mattis retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in 2013 and has since served as a consultant and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Image 6 of 21
|
Jeff Sessions, Attorney General
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is Trump nominee for attorney general. Sessions has been in the senate since 1997, and before that was the attorney general of Alabama.
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is Trump nominee for attorney general. Sessions has been in the senate since 1997, and before that was the attorney general of Alabama.
Image 7 of 21
|
Andy Puzder, Labor
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Andy Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, as his administration's secretary of labor.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Andy Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, as his administration's secretary of labor.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press
Image 8 of 21
|
Scott Pruitt, EPA
Trump picked Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt, longtime EPA critic, to head environmental agency, source close to Pruitt says.
Trump picked Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt, longtime EPA critic, to head environmental agency, source close to Pruitt says.
Photo: NICK OXFORD, STR
Image 9 of 21
|
Wilbur Ross, Commerce
Investor Wilbur Ross Jr. is Trump's pick for the Commerce Department.
Investor Wilbur Ross Jr. is Trump's pick for the Commerce Department.
Photo: Mark Lennihan
Image 10 of 21
|
Rep. Tom Price, Health and Human Services
Rep. Tom Price, R-GA., has been a leading critic of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. President-elect Trump has said he plans to make changes to the health care law, but will keep some provisions.
Rep. Tom Price, R-GA., has been a leading critic of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. President-elect Trump has said he plans to make changes to the health care law, but will keep some provisions.
Image 11 of 21
|
Ben Carson, Housing and Urban Development
The former presidential candidate and neurosurgeon has been named secretary of housing and urban development.
The former presidential candidate and neurosurgeon has been named secretary of housing and urban development.
Image 12 of 21
|
Elaine Chao, Transportation
Elaine Chao was secretary of labor under President George W. Bush and deputy transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush. She also served as director of the Peace Corps. She is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
lessElaine Chao was secretary of labor under President George W. Bush and deputy transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush. She also served as director of the Peace Corps. She is married to Senate
... more
Image 13 of 21
|
Rick Perry, Energy
The former governor of Texas was a rumored pick for many top cabinet positions. On Dec. 13, President-elect Trump announced Perry would be his choice for energy secretary.
The former governor of Texas was a rumored pick for many top cabinet positions. On Dec. 13, President-elect Trump announced Perry would be his choice for energy secretary.
Image 14 of 21
|
Betsy DeVos, Education
Betsy DeVos, secretary of education pick for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. DeVos, chairwoman of the American Federation for Children, has been active in Republican Party politics for decades in her home state of Michigan and in education advocacy.
lessBetsy DeVos, secretary of education pick for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. DeVos, chairwoman of the American Federation for Children, has been active in Republican Party politics for decades in her home
... more
Image 15 of 21
|
Marine Gen. John Kelly, Homeland Security
Trump is tapping another four-star military officer for his administration. He has picked Kelly to lead the Homeland Security Department, according to people close to the transition.
Trump is tapping another four-star military officer for his administration. He has picked Kelly to lead the Homeland Security Department, according to people close to the transition.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press
Image 16 of 21
|
Dr. David Shulkin, Veteran's Affairs
Dr. David Shulkin, the current Department of Veterans Affairs for Health Undersecretary, is Trump's pick to lead the department.
Dr. David Shulkin, the current Department of Veterans Affairs for Health Undersecretary, is Trump's pick to lead the department.
Photo: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File
Image 17 of 21
|
Linda McMahon, Small Business Administration Chief
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed former WWE CEO Linda McMahon to serve as chief of the small business administration.
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed former WWE CEO Linda McMahon to serve as chief of the small business administration.
Photo: Jessica Hill
Image 18 of 21
|
Gov. Nikki Haley, Ambassador to the United Nations
The governor of South Carolina has little foreign policy experience, but Trump has called her "a proven dealmaker." She is one of three women appointed to Trump's cabinet so far.
The governor of South Carolina has little foreign policy experience, but Trump has called her "a proven dealmaker." She is one of three women appointed to Trump's cabinet so far.
Image 19 of 21
|
Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser
Michael Flynn is a retired Army lieutenant general and intelligence officer. Flynn has advised President-elect Trump on foreign policy, national security, and the military over the past year.
Michael Flynn is a retired Army lieutenant general and intelligence officer. Flynn has advised President-elect Trump on foreign policy, national security, and the military over the past year.
Image 20 of 21
|
Reince Priebus, chief of staff
Reince Priebus is chairman of the Republican National Committee and had earned Trump's trust over the course of the campaign. Priebus is originally from Wisconsin and has spent his career working for the Republican Party.
lessReince Priebus is chairman of the Republican National Committee and had earned Trump's trust over the course of the campaign. Priebus is originally from Wisconsin and has spent his career working for the
... more
Republican says with Trump ‘impeachment needs to be on the table’
Northwestern University Law Professor Steven Calabresi served in two Republican administrations, was an adviser to Attorney General Edwin Meese under Ronald Reagan and wrote speeches for Vice President Dan Quayle. He is co-founder and board chairman of the conservative Federalist Society.
So it raised a few eyebrows when Calabresi told a law school audience in San Francisco that when it comes to Donald Trump, “impeachment needs to be on the table.”
Even though both houses of Congress will be controlled by his fellow Republicans, Trump, a party outsider, will be “on a short leash. There could be a spectacular end,” Calabresi said in a recent panel at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools.
Calabresi was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and another prominent conservative, Appeals Court Judge Robert Bork, and served in the Justice Department under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
In the Reagan administration, he was an influential advocate of expanded presidential power and the use of “signing statements” declaring a president’s intention to disregard portions of a newly signed law. That became common under President George W. Bush.
Calabresi did find some things to praise about the incoming administration at the San Francisco panel discussion on Jan. 5.
He said former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, was right to advocate better relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, “to the extent that’s possible.”
He noted that former Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, nominated for defense secretary, opposes waterboarding and other forms of torture. He said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Trump’s pick to become U.S. ambassador to China, speaks Mandarin and is “beloved” in China. And he said choosing hard-line Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general was “a lot better than appointing your campaign manager (John Mitchell, by Richard Nixon) or your brother,” referring to Robert Kennedy, by John F. Kennedy.
But Calabresi said Republican leaders, who have lamented their party’s alienation from racial minorities, have been been dismayed by some of Trump’s comments on racial issues — for example, his claim that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, of San Diego, presiding over a fraud suit by students against Trump University, was biased because of his Mexican heritage. Trump has since settled the suit for $25 million.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has called Trump’s denigration of Curiel “the textbook definition of a racist comment.”
Calabresi said Trump had also displayed sexism — an apparent reference to his tape-recorded boasting of grabbing women by the genitals — and an out-of-control temperament. If Trump continues such behavior after taking office, Calabresi said, Republican leaders should consider impeaching him and replacing him with Vice President Mike Pence, who is much closer to his party’s establishment.
“He’s not a creature of the Republican Party,” Calabresi said of Trump. “He’s a creature of the swamp.”
His words may resonate more with Republicans than the dire forecasts from others on the San Francisco panel, and the law school community overall, since the election.
More than 1,300 law professors have signed a letter opposing Trump’s nomination of Sessions as attorney general. Last month, 42 constitutional law professors sent Trump a letter asking him to reverse his positions on such issues as abortion, freedom of the press and a proposed registry of Muslims in the United States.
Trump is “the least qualified person for the presidency ever,” UC Irvine law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who signed both letters, said in the panel discussion. “I’m more scared for the country than I’ve ever been.”
Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
