Thursday, June 22, 2017

Jim Frogue is on Trump's "beachhead team"

     Various news sources (e.g., here) described Jim Frogue as “Senior Health Policy Advisor to the Donald J. Trump for President campaign….” Evidently, Frogue took a leave of absence from his firm, occupying Trump tower from August until November, helping to fashion Trump's spin on health care.
     The question is, what is Frogue’s role, if any, during the post-election period?
     The answer is that Jim Frogue has been part of the Trump transition. More specifically, he’s on Trump’s “beachhead” team, which is not to be confused with his “landing” team.
     According to Politico, Jan. 30, “Three unconfirmed members of the [beachhead] team” [include] “Jim Frogue.” A week later, Politico reported that “Among the hundreds of revelers at Saturday night's Health Policy Ball, held at the Ritz-Carlton ... [are] Trump transition and beachhead staffers Jim Frogue (wearing a Trump/Pence pin), Keagan Lenihan, Carla DiBlasio, Kamran Daravi,” et al.
     But just what is a "beachhead" staffer? Above the Law (a magazine for lawyers) explains:
     ... Top government positions ... are so-called “PAS” positions, “presidential appointment with Senate confirmation.” The Attorney General is a PAS post, of course, and so are many others at the Justice Department — top positions at Main Justice in Washington, such as deputy attorney general and solicitor general, plus other jobs around the country, such U.S. Attorneys.
     It’s not possible to get all the PAS posts at an agency filled before a new presidential administration takes over. So what typically happens during the transition is that the incoming administration selects a number of non-PAS political appointees to place in the various divisions of an agency (sometimes called “beachhead” appointees). Because these appointees do not require Senate confirmation, they can join the agency immediately after inauguration, and they can represent the voice of the new administration from day one. They basically hold down the fort until the arrival of the Senate-confirmed appointees, which usually happens a few months later.
* * *
Steve Frogue, Neanderthal
     Why, one might ask, should anyone care that this Trumpian "beachhead" staffer is the son of Steven J. Frogue? The factoid certainly sheds no negative light on Jim Frogue. That a guy's father is a conspiracy theory nut shouldn't count against him, I say. Jim seems to be a very sharp and successful businessman (albeit a lobbyist for evil corporations—don't get me started). He is a health policy expert of sorts and he has made a name for himself especially in the area of combating Medicare fraud.
     Good for him.
     That Steven J. Frogue's son turned out to be a hotshot lobbyist and Trump advisor will certainly be interesting to us, i.e., to those who lived through the Frogue era, especially denizens of the SOCCCD. For instance, my reaction to this revelation is surprise. How, I ask, could the likes of Steve Frogue, a clueless boob, raise such an accomplished son, even if said son is a global warming skeptic who likes Milo Yiannopoulos? Who'd 've thunk?
     Of secondary and minor interest, I suppose, is Jim Frogue's apparent efforts to leave virtually no trail back to his Lake Forest roots with silly old papa Steve.
     That's just good business, I guess.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course he is Frogue's son.

Anonymous said...

Jim Frogue is a beloved family friend and a dear personal friend who has been invited to and gladly attended many important family events, including Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Passover Seders, weddings, birthdays, and funerals. Making baseless, and quite frankly insane, accusations that someone is a antisemite because it fits your irrational agenda just dilutes the meaning of the term. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Roy Bauer said...

Mr. Goldman, you seem to have limited reading skills. Read what I wrote. At no point do I imply or suggest that Jim Frogue is "a antisemite." On the contrary, I suggest that the sins of Steve Frogue should not be ascribed to his son.
Who's making "baseless" accusations? That would be YOU, my friend,.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...