Sean Michael Spicer

“ Jonathan, thanks, I'll let Kristen talk. It can't be a ban if you're letting a million people in. If 325,000 people from another country can't come in, that is by nature not a ban -- it is extreme vetting. ”

“ There’s a very, very delicate distinction between people who were on the plane coming into this country when the executive order was signed, all of who have been vetted and cleared, and the people who have been stopped at a port of entry in one of those seven countries to ensure that the proper vetting took place before they were able to move on. ”

“ Well, I think that that kind of comes with the job, right? If you don’t believe in the President’s agenda -- and I think every one of the Cabinet members, every one of the appointees understands that they serve at the pleasure of the President. ”

“ MR. SPICER: No. I think we've proven so far that the Democrats can try to obstruct, but at the end of the day, the will of the American people is going to overcome that.
And again, what I mentioned at the outset of this is the advice and consent piece of this. He and our team have met with senators from both sides of the aisle to make sure that we understand the qualities that they are looking for in the next associate justice. And I think that we have done a very, very good job of getting a nominee in place that will be announced tonight that meets the criteria that they set forth. ”

“ I think he’s brought unions together, business leaders together, Republicans, Democrats, independents. I think someone who doesn't carry out an act and using that as a way to describe that he’s not bringing the country together is not exactly a representation. ”

“ The mere idea that they're not even showing up to hearings is truly outrageous. So I'd like to give a special shout-out to the folks at C-SPAN for making sure that all of these embarrassing actions by Senate Democrats get the wall-to-wall coverage that they deserve. Voters are going to remember what senators stood in the way of when President Trump -- by President Trump trying to install his agency and department leaders the next time their name is on a ballot. ”

“ It is the right of every American to express their idea and opinion, and, frankly, that’s what you’ve seen the President do today. We’re talking about leaving -- at 2 o'clock hour, him sitting down with cyber experts to get their opinions and ideas on how to protect our critical infrastructures. ”

“ And I think he is going to sit down with these individuals the same way that he's getting people to understand the agenda and the regulatory and tax climate that he wants to institute that's bringing jobs home. People are making a commitment to him to bring jobs and manufacturing back based on his track record as a businessman and his word. They understand that he's going to create a climate that supports the American worker and American manufacturing. ”

“ How many more of them are there throughout the government at this time, as the transition and confirmation process plays out? And do you expect any more problems from any of the other ones?
MR. SPICER: In some cases, we’ve held some individuals over because they hold a critical position within government. In some cases, we’ve named folks as acting. It’s a case-by-case basis. And again, I think part of it right now is the President wanted to focus on getting his Cabinet up and complete. We’ll continue to make nominations both at the deputy, under and assistant secretary-level. ”

“ So we work with other countries, and we have systems in place to ensure that when you travel from our country to their -- or from their country to our country or vice versa, that we are sharing information about passengers and citizens that are going in and out. ”

“ He understands the challenges that the bureaucracy that's holding back some of the negotiating, that's allowing these prescription drug prices to drop or get the best deal for the government in cases whether it's Medicare or Medicaid, who are such large buyers of the VA -- that you're not -- you have got such purchasing power that's not being utilized to the full extent. ”

“ The idea that these highly qualified nominees have the votes for their nominations to be endorsed out of committee and get a full vote are being stalled because Democrats are boycotting the committee vote is outrageous. ”

“ Q Sean, Hallie’s question was about civilians that are being targeted by the administration in anti-terror raids. And Zeke’s question was about al-Awlaki’s daughter. So let me ask you: Is the President willing to kill and target American citizens, even minors, just because their family members are terrorists?
MR. SPICER: No American citizen will ever be targeted. ”

“ Q Sean, let me ask you the obvious follow-up question then. At least one Republican senator has said Democrats have removed the filibuster from just about every other appointment, aside from the Supreme Court. And he said several Republicans say they would have no hesitation about moving for another nuclear option if Democrats attempt a filibuster of any of the possible nominees. Is this something the President would support? And has he discussed it with members of the Senate? ”

“ Yates failed to enforce a legal order, approved by the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel and designed to protect the citizens of the United States. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals traveling from seven nations is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country. ”

“ And then there’s another group of people -- and the Department of Homeland Security has those numbers up to date on their website -- where they’re talking about people that are stopped at the port of entry to ensure that they’re properly vetted before they board a plane. ”

“ So I think -- you look over and over again, the number of companies that want to come back and say, we want to be part of this agenda to grow the economy and to create jobs or to help you fight on behalf of taxpayers, and I think you're going to continue to see that. ”

“ It's our intention to start promptly tonight in the East Room at 8:02 p.m. Pre-set will begin at 6:30. The East Room will be available for live shots approximately 20 minutes following the announcement, and both the Briefing Room and Pebble Beach outside have extended hours tonight to accommodate any additional journalistic needs. We'll have further guidance on tonight’s plans as the day evolves.
Moving to the news of the day, I know that Secretary Kelly, alongside other DHS officials, just recently concluded a briefing on the operational implementation of the President’s executive order. ”

“ He is the U.S. -- I mean, he's got to be confirmed first, but the U.S. trade representative is clearly the leader of negotiating trade deals. Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro and Jason Greenblatt -- there's a great, unbelievably robust, brilliant team that has continued to work on behalf of deals and renegotiating, looking at them. ”