White House aides are reportedly stalling the appointment of new staff members because they are scrutinising candidates' social media profiles for criticism of Donald Trump.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is said to have complained that Mr Trump’s advisers are resisting his efforts to get the Treasury up and running by blocking his staff picks.
Sources told Bloomberg that his choices for deputy secretary, undersecretaries for domestic finance and international affairs, general counsel and several other posts are still awaiting approval from the Trump administration.
Mr Mnuchin’s choice for the Treasury’s most senior lawyer Brent McIntosh was reportedly met with heavy resistance from the White House after his Twitter account was flagged as hosting potentially negative content about Mr Trump.
Mr Trump has not addressed the claims however he denied reports of infighting and disorder under his administration on Twitter.
He tweeted: “Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!”
Mr Mnuchin announced highly ambitious economic growth targets earlier this month when he gave his first interview as Treasury Secretary.
He told The Wall Street Journal that lacklustre economic growth since the financial crisis had been the result of policies introduced by the Obama administration. These could be reversed, he said.
He added that under Mr Trump, the government aims to sustain growth of three per cent or higher annually.
A White House spokesperson told Bloomberg there was no effort to block his choices, for political or other reasons, but declined to discuss specific individuals.
The Independent has separately contacted the White House and the Treasury for comment.
