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Trump Turns to His Right Flank to Fill National Security Posts Trump Turns to His Right Flank to Fill National Security Posts
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump moved quickly on Friday to begin filling national security posts at the top echelons of his administration, announcing that he had tapped a group of hawks and conservative loyalists who reflect the hard-line views that defined his presidential campaign.WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump moved quickly on Friday to begin filling national security posts at the top echelons of his administration, announcing that he had tapped a group of hawks and conservative loyalists who reflect the hard-line views that defined his presidential campaign.
Mr. Trump selected Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who has made cracking down on undocumented immigrants a signature issue, to be his attorney general, while installing Michael Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who believes Islamist militancy poses an existential threat, as his national security adviser. And as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mr. Trump selected Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas, who harshly criticized Hillary Clinton during the House investigation of the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Mr. Trump selected Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who has made cracking down on undocumented immigrants a signature issue, to be his attorney general, while installing Michael T. Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who believes Islamist militancy poses an existential threat, as his national security adviser. And as director of the C.I.A., Mr. Trump selected Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas, who harshly criticized Hillary Clinton during the House investigation of the 2012 attack on the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.
The flurry of decisions indicated that Mr. Trump is gaining some control over a transition operation that has been marked during its first week by chaos and infighting, and moving quickly to put his stamp on an administration-in-waiting that will break starkly with President Obama’s. The flurry of decisions indicated that Mr. Trump was gaining some control over a transition operation that has been marked during its first week by chaos and infighting, and moving quickly to put his stamp on an administration-in-waiting that will break starkly with President Obama’s.
Transition officials said he would meet over the weekend with a broad array of potential cabinet members and other advisers. Among them are former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, among the harshest Republican critics of his campaign, and Michelle Rhee, a Democrat who is the former chancellor of schools in the District of Columbia, as a signal that he wanted to build a “broad and diverse team” without regard to political affiliation or support for his presidential bid.Transition officials said he would meet over the weekend with a broad array of potential cabinet members and other advisers. Among them are former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, among the harshest Republican critics of his campaign, and Michelle Rhee, a Democrat who is the former chancellor of schools in the District of Columbia, as a signal that he wanted to build a “broad and diverse team” without regard to political affiliation or support for his presidential bid.
But there was no evidence in Friday’s selections that Mr. Trump, who has hinted that he might pursue a more centrist agenda once he sits in the Oval Office, is inclined to moderate his approach on key questions of national security and civil rights.But there was no evidence in Friday’s selections that Mr. Trump, who has hinted that he might pursue a more centrist agenda once he sits in the Oval Office, is inclined to moderate his approach on key questions of national security and civil rights.
In a statement on Friday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Sessions a “world-class legal mind,” and said Mr. Pompeo would be “a brilliant and unrelenting leader for our intelligence community.” In a statement on Friday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Sessions a “world-class legal mind,” and he said that Mr. Pompeo would be “a brilliant and unrelenting leader for our intelligence community.”
Of General Flynn, he said: “I am pleased that Lieutenant General Michael Flynn will be by my side as we work to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, navigate geopolitical challenges and keep Americans safe at home and abroad.”Of General Flynn, he said: “I am pleased that Lieutenant General Michael Flynn will be by my side as we work to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, navigate geopolitical challenges and keep Americans safe at home and abroad.”
Both Mr. Sessions and General Flynn were early and fervent supporters of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign when many establishment Republicans were criticizing him for inflammatory statements and dismissing his chances of becoming the party’s nominee. Mr. Pompeo initially supported Senator Marco Rubio of Florida in the Republican primary, but backed Mr. Trump after it became clear he would be the candidate. Mr. Pompeo is also close to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is leading the transition. Both Mr. Sessions and General Flynn were early and fervent supporters of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign when many establishment Republicans were criticizing him for inflammatory statements and dismissing his chances of becoming the party’s nominee. Mr. Pompeo initially supported Senator Marco Rubio of Florida in the Republican primary, but he backed Mr. Trump after it became clear he would be the candidate. Mr. Pompeo is also close to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is leading the transition.
All three are regarded as outliers from conventional Republican thinking in some sense, shunned in various ways for statements or viewpoints that were seen as unacceptable. Mr. Sessions, who if confirmed by the Senate would be charged with safeguarding civil rights laws in the United States, was blocked from becoming a federal judge in 1986 by the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee because of racially charged comments and actions.All three are regarded as outliers from conventional Republican thinking in some sense, shunned in various ways for statements or viewpoints that were seen as unacceptable. Mr. Sessions, who if confirmed by the Senate would be charged with safeguarding civil rights laws in the United States, was blocked from becoming a federal judge in 1986 by the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee because of racially charged comments and actions.
In testimony before the committee, former colleagues said that Mr. Sessions had referred to the N.A.A.C.P., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other civil rights groups as “un-American” and “Communist-inspired.” An African-American federal prosecutor then, Thomas H. Figures, said Mr. Sessions had referred to him as “boy” and testified that Mr. Sessions said the Ku Klux Klan was fine “until I found out they smoked pot,” a remark Mr. Sessions later dismissed as a joke. In testimony before the committee, former colleagues said that Mr. Sessions had referred to the N.A.A.C.P., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other civil rights groups as “un-American” and “Communist-inspired.” An African-American federal prosecutor then, Thomas H. Figures, said that Mr. Sessions had referred to him as “boy” and testified that Mr. Sessions said the Ku Klux Klan was fine “until I found out they smoked pot,” a remark Mr. Sessions later dismissed as a joke.
General Flynn has argued that Islamist militancy poses an existential threat on a global scale, and cited the Muslim faith itself — which he has referred to as “a cancer” and a political ideology, not a religion — as the source of the problem. Once considered a respected military officer, he was fired by Mr. Obama after serving only two years as chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has since been a vociferous critic of a Washington elite that he contended refused to name radical Islam as the enemy that it was and was therefore doomed to fall short in defeating it. General Flynn has argued that Islamist militancy poses an existential threat on a global scale, and he cited the Muslim faith itself — which he has referred to as “a cancer” and a political ideology, not a religion — as the source of the problem. Once considered a respected military officer, he was fired by Mr. Obama after serving only two years as chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has since been a vociferous critic of a Washington elite that he contended refused to name radical Islam as the enemy that it was and was therefore doomed to fall short in defeating it.
It is a view shared by Mr. Pompeo, elected to Congress in 2010 with substantial financial backing from a political action committee funded by the Wichita-based Koch Industries. He has criticized Mr. Obama’s decision to shut down the Central Intelligence Agency’s black-site prisons and require all interrogators to strictly adhere to anti-torture laws, using only those interrogation techniques approved in the Army Field Manual. In 2014, he accused Mr. Obama of refusing “to take the war on radical Islamic terrorism seriously,” citing among other Obama policies the president’s “ending our interrogation program in 2009.” It is a view shared by Mr. Pompeo, elected to Congress in 2010 with substantial financial backing from a political action committee funded by Koch Industries, based in Wichita, Kan. He has criticized Mr. Obama’s decision to shut down the C.I.A.’s black-site prisons and to require all interrogators to strictly adhere to anti-torture laws, using only those interrogation techniques approved in the Army Field Manual. In 2014, he accused Mr. Obama of refusing “to take the war on radical Islamic terrorism seriously,” citing among other Obama policies the president’s “ending our interrogation program in 2009.”
After the Benghazi panel found no new evidence of wrongdoing by the Obama administration or Mrs. Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time of the attack, Mr. Pompeo and another Republican member of the committee, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, said they were convinced there had been a cover-up, and filed a 48-page addendum that included far harsher criticism of the administration and of Mrs. Clinton. The committee’s chairman, Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, did not put his name on the addendum. After the Benghazi panel found no new evidence of wrongdoing by the Obama administration or Mrs. Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time of the attack, Mr. Pompeo and another Republican member of the committee, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, said they were convinced there had been a cover-up, and they filed a 48-page addendum that included far harsher criticism of the administration and of Mrs. Clinton. The committee’s chairman, Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, did not put his name on the addendum.