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A Day for Hearings, With a Charge of Russia Trying to ‘Break’ NATO At Hearings, Not All Nominees in Lockstep With Trump
(35 minutes later)
■ A third day of confirmation hearings is starting on Capitol Hill, with one emerging theme: Many of the nominees of President-elect Donald J. Trump have serious disagreements with him on policy.■ A third day of confirmation hearings is starting on Capitol Hill, with one emerging theme: Many of the nominees of President-elect Donald J. Trump have serious disagreements with him on policy.
■ Mr. Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, James N. Mattis, the retired general, and Mr. Trump’s choices for housing secretary, Ben Carson, and for the C.I.A., Representative Mike Pompeo, will be grilled starting this morning. ■ Mr. Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, James N. Mattis, the retired general, emphasized strong support for NATO this morning.
■ Conspiratorial minds will wonder. The lights in the hearing room went out just minutes after Mr. Pompeo’s hearing started. ■ Ben Carson, the choice for housing secretary, said he would use a ‘holistic’ approach.
In the first minutes of the hearing, Mr. Mattis put space between himself and Mr. Trump, who has embraced a more affectionate relationship with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Putin, Mr. Mattis said, “is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance,” in a reference to NATO. He said the United States and its NATO allies must take necessary steps to strengthen the alliance. ■ Representative Mike Pompeo, the pick to run the C.I.A., outlined a ‘global threat environment.’
His route to confirmation, which is expected, is more complex than other nominees. Mr. Mattis left active duty in 2013, and federal law mandates a seven-year waiting period before a retired general is allowed to serve as defense secretary. Mr. Mattis must obtain a congressional waiver to take the position. Mr. Mattis put space between himself and Mr. Trump, who has embraced a friendlier relationship with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and the committee chairman, strongly encouraged passing the waiver, which is expected. Mr. Putin, Mr. Mattis said, “is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance,” in a reference to NATO. He said the United States and its NATO allies must take necessary steps to strengthen the alliance.
Before Mr. Mattis even began to answer questions, Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, started talking about the language of founding fathers. Mr. Trump said during the campaign could see American military support conditional on whether NATO states have met their financial obligations to the bloc.
“Many believe,” Senator Reed said, “that you’ll be the saucer that cools the coffee.” “My view is that nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies don’t,” Mr. Mattis said.
It was a reference to the historical tale of a debate between Thomas Jefferson and George Washington that has something to do with the Senate serving as a cooling balm — the saucer — on whatever hot stuff — the coffee — the House comes up with. Mr. Mattis also staked out a different position from his would-be boss on the prospects for Russian and American cooperation in Syria. While Mr. Trump has said a number of times that Russia is killing Islamic State militants in Syria, and that the United States should better coordinate with the Russians there, Mr. Mattis, given the opportunity, was having none of it.
But at a time when Mr. Trump has staked out national security positions that often fall outside the norm of conventional American foreign policy, Mr. Reed and a number of other lawmakers have made it clear that they expect Mr. Mattis to work to cool off some of Mr. Trump’s heated rhetoric. “I’m all for engagement,” he said, “but we also have to recognize reality in terms of what Russia is up to.”
Pressed about whether Mr. Trump’s statements about NATO concerned him, Mr. Mattis said: “I have had discussions with him on this issue.” He added, “He understands where I stand.”
The testiest exchange so far came courtesy of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York. Ms. Gillibrand, who supports opening all combat positions in the military to women, gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender individuals, has said that she opposes granting a congressional waiver required for Mr. Mattis to become defense secretary.
On Thursday, she sought to get a commitment from Mr. Mattis that he would not try to roll back the Defense Department’s decisions to open combat positions to women and the L.G.B.T. community.
Mr. Mattis didn’t give her the wholesale promise she sought. He said military readiness and having the most lethal fighting force would be his priority.
But, he added that “unless a service chief” comes to him with a problem, he has no plans to undo policies that have been in place. He also said, “I’ve never cared much about two consenting adults and who they go to bed with.”
Mr. Carson used his opening statement to highlight his biography, speaking of life in an impoverished section of Detroit as the son of a single mother with a third-grade education.Mr. Carson used his opening statement to highlight his biography, speaking of life in an impoverished section of Detroit as the son of a single mother with a third-grade education.
But Mr. Carson held close to the conservative orthodoxy that has defined his political life, saying that while efficient public assistance is acceptable, he fears the specter of “generation after generation of people living in dependent situations.”But Mr. Carson held close to the conservative orthodoxy that has defined his political life, saying that while efficient public assistance is acceptable, he fears the specter of “generation after generation of people living in dependent situations.”
“I do believe that government can play a very important role,” he said, adding that “some have distorted what I’ve said about government.” After quoting past remarks from Mr. Carson suggesting that poverty was “more of a choice” than anything else, Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, asked if he truly believed in the HUD’s mission.
He preached a more “holistic” approach — while avoiding specifics, at least initially — saying he viewed people as “human capital” worthy of investment. “I think the rental assistance program is essential,” Mr. Carson said, when pressed twice, “and what I have said if you’ve been reading my writings: It is cruel and unusual punishment to withdraw those programs before you provide an alternative.”
When Americans consider HUD’s mission, Mr. Carson said, “Most people think putting roofs over the heads of poor people. But it has the ability to be so much more than that.” Earlier, when asked about housing protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, Mr. Carson, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, said he would “enforce all the laws of the land” if confirmed. But he expressed his personal opposition to any expression of what he called “extra rights” for certain groups.
Mr. Carson is among the more well-known nominees, so perhaps it was fitting that he had a validator like Omarosa Manigault, who gained fame on Mr. Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice.” She was seated in the front row with some of Mr. Carson’s family members. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio pointedly called into question Mr. Carson’s views and said that it would be unfair to think others could easily accomplish the same things as Mr. Carson.
About 10 minutes into Mr. Pompeo’s confirmation hearing, the hearing room at the Hart Senate Office fell into semidarkness, lit only by emergency lighting. “Much as we might wish otherwise, many children won’t have the same combination of fortitude, a firm hand, and good fortune that allowed Dr. Carson to rise to the highest level of medicine and our society,” he said. “For those who cannot overcome the odds on their own, should we help them or not? Dr. Carson has repeatedly commented that government assistance programs are harmful.”
If anyone needed more grist for conspiracy theories this week, the power outage was perfectly timed to provide it — it took place as Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee, raised the issue of Russian cyber attacks for the first time in the hearing. While questioning Mr. Carson, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts spent several minutes criticizing President-elect Trump and the potential conflicts of interests that may arise from his businesses.
To be clear: There was absolutely no evidence that the power cut was at all related to the hearing. But given the mood in Washington these days, one can never tell how random events will be construed. “Can you assure me that not a single taxpayer dollar that you give out will financially benefit the president-elect or his family?” she asked.
In any case, Mr. Warner continued speaking for a few minutes after the electricity went out and his microphone cut off. He said he was committed to conducting a review of the intelligence assessment that Russia had used a campaign of cyberattacks to undermine American democracy and promote the candidacy of Mr. Trump. As he began to say that he was driven by morals and values, Ms. Warren interrupted and said her concern was specifically about whether the billions of dollars Mr. Carson will be giving out in grants and loans could specifically benefit Mr. Trump.
The hearing went into recess until power was restored. “It will not be my intention to do anything to benefit any American,” Mr. Carson said becoming a bit flustered before quickly clarifying that he wanted to use the department to help “all Americans.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the intelligence community amid revelations of Russian interference in the presidential election. Now he gets to install a team of his own. Ms. Warren pressed on by insisting that Mr. Trump needed to establish a blind trust and by accusing Mr. Trump of “hiding” his assets.
Mr. Pompeo, a Kansas Republican, is known as a bare-knuckled partisan who, should he be confirmed, would have to balance winning over the C.I.A. while keeping the confidence of the Trump White House. However, Mr. Carson would not say that he would completely avoid Trump businesses if confirmed. “If there happens to be an extraordinarily good program that’s working for millions of people and it turns out that someone that you’re targeting is going to gain $10 from it, am I going to say no?” Mr. Carson said. “I think logic and common sense probably will probably be the best way.”
His confirmation hearing is the first test. Expect plenty of questions about cyberattacks and the election. Mr. Pompeo’s views on torture, and how they square with Mr. Trump’s, were quickly addressed.
Mr. Trump’s aides will be watching for signs that Mr. Pompeo can be trusted. Democrats will look to draw out any differences between the nominee and Mr. Trump. Mr. Pompeo should expect to be asked to summarize his views on mass surveillance (good), Russia (bad) and waterboarding (not illegal, and not torture). Mr. Pompeo has made past statements indicating that he did not believe waterboarding was torture, and that it was legal.
Then there is the C.I.A. that Michael V. Hayden, a former director of both the C.I.A. and the National Security Agency, said that officials wary of the Trump team would hope to hear the message: “I’m going to protect you from these guys.” But President Obama issued an executive order banning the harshest of techniques and Congress enacted a law in 2015 that allows American interrogators to use only techniques authorized in the Army Field Manual. That list does not include coercive methods such as waterboarding.
“Every television set in Langley,” he said referring to the Virginia headquarters of the C.I.A., “is going to be on for that hearing.” So the question on the minds of many was whether Mr. Pompeo would support torturing people?
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat of California, asked Mr. Pompeo if he would allow the use of interrogation techniques not outlined in the Army manual if ordered to do so by Mr. Trump.
Mr. Pompeo answered unequivocally: He made clear he would “always comply with the law.” He said there were limitations on what the C.I.A. could do and any changes in the law prohibiting torture would require an act by Congress.
Mr. Pompeo told another senator that the C.I.A. was out of the enhanced interrogation business.
The congressman also had a crucial audience across the Potomac River at C.I.A. headquarters.
“Every television set in Langley is going to be on for that hearing,” said Michael V. Hayden, the former C.I.A. director.