November 18, 2016

Trump picks Flynn for national security adviser, Pompeo to head CIA.

The NYT reports, brashly:
President-elect Donald J. Trump has offered the post of national security adviser to Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, potentially putting a retired intelligence officer who believes Islamist militancy poses an existential threat in one of the most powerful roles in shaping military and foreign policy...

Mr. Trump and General Flynn both see themselves as brash outsiders who hustled their way to the big time. They both post on Twitter often about their own successes, and they have both at times crossed the line into outright Islamophobia.

They also both exhibit a loose relationship with facts....
And:
President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Mike Pompeo, a hawkish Republican from Kansas and a former Army officer, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, according to officials close to Mr. Trump’s transition team.

Mr. Pompeo, who has served for three terms in Congress and is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, gained prominence for his role in the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. He was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton on the committee....

He has close ties to Wichita-based Koch Industries....
Lots of news coming from the transition team today — Flynn, Pompeo, Sessions. I guess that the MSM will do an abrupt shift from its theme of the last few days — that the transition is in disarray and falling way behind. The new theme — let me guess — is: all the President's men are terrible.

103 comments:

Fritz said...

I thought the story was that Trump was being neglectful for not naming anyone for anything.

Jake said...

Are those straight news stories or editorials?

The Godfather said...

The next big story is that he's going to appoint Romney, the guy who rode his dog on the top of his car.

MikeR said...

"loose relationship with facts". From the NYT.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Mike Pompeo, a hawkish Republican from Kansas and a former Army officer, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, according to officials close to Mr. Trump’s transition team."
Damn. I was hoping Trump would pick Putin for the job.

rhhardin said...

Armstrong and Getty suggest Romney for dogcatcher.

MayBee said...

Flynn got pushed out because he pointed out Obama's briefings were misleading about the seriousness of ISIS.

Hagar said...

The Romney lunch invitation may just be a signal to others that it is OK to raise their heads. No hard feelings after the election.

Anonymous said...

Flynn who worked for Russian state TV denouncing his own American President. Flynn is a traitor, he has no place getting classified information. I guess this is all well and good with the Drumpfists. After all Trump could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and they would still love him.

320Busdriver said...

Why bother with the biased NYT.

The WSJ has a much better handle on this transition.
Here an op ed titled:

The Trump Family Political Business
The left is already teeing this up as a daily target. Answer: liquidate.

chickelit said...

The polarization continues: Trump picks hardline opponents of radical Islam for his cabinet while Democrats unite behind Keith Ellison. This cannot end well.

Hagar said...

ISIS became serious when Obama pushed the Iraqi government over to the Shia and Iran, and the Iraqi Sunni began joining up with ISIS since they figured they were toast anyway.

Considering the behavior they have been engaging in, we can't very well go to supporting them now, but I do not think we should be helping Iran fighting them.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

That some of the smart set do NOT think Islamic fascism poses an existential threat to the West is amazing to me. The destabilizing effects of terror campaign can bring down governments. We will no longer have a president who (to be kind) didn't recognize the threat or (to be more realistic) did everything he could to help Iran continue to sponsor and inflict islamofascism on the world.

dreams said...

Trump is making some good choices.

Curious George said...

"He has close ties to Wichita-based Koch Industries...."

Better them the Carlos Slim.

Seeing Red said...

Wasn't Sessions on stage for his acceptance speech?


Trump has a leak problem already. For a guy who values loyalty, either he knows who it is or he doesn't.

dreams said...

Flynn seems like a really good pick for NSA.

dreams said...

Jeff Sessions is very smart.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

The new theme — let me guess — is: all the President's men are terrible.

You didn't have to be Nostradamus to figure that out. Though to be fair, from their point of view, they are.



Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Monday story: Trump has no plan for transition.
Tuesday story: Trump transition relying on insiders.
Wednesday story: Trump transition in disarray, moving too slowly.
Thursday story: Clueless Trump reaches out to Romney in desperation.
Friday story: Transition moving too fast, allowing racists to vie for top positions.

gerry said...

@MikeR: "loose relationship with facts". From the NYT.

Ironic, ain't it?

Gusty Winds said...

...intelligence officer who believes Islamist militancy poses an existential threat in one of the most powerful roles in shaping military and foreign policy...

Sounds pretty intelligent compared compared to those who called San Bernardino and Fort Hood "work place violence". Look at Europe. They're facing and existential threat, certainly to the survival of their cultures.

And I'll bet Flynn doesn't want to arm mercenary 'rebels' in Syria anymore, or get in armed conflict with Russia.

Trump's kicking ass right now and the press is doggy paddling.

dreams said...
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dreams said...

"The polarization continues: Trump picks hardline opponents of radical Islam for his cabinet while Democrats unite behind Keith Ellison."

While the corrupt media try to destroy Jeff Bannon.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

They also both exhibit a loose relationship with facts....

A loose relationship?!?

I thought slut-shaming was bad.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Curious George:
"He has close ties to Wichita-based Koch Industries...."

Better them the Carlos Slim.


Google "has close ties to Soros" and see how many MSM articles come up on Democrats. Or "Tides Foundation" or "Move-On" or any of the billions in lefty dollars that go to degrade and diminish civil society.

Curious George said...

"Seeing Red said...
Wasn't Sessions on stage for his acceptance speech?


Trump has a leak problem already. For a guy who values loyalty, either he knows who it is or he doesn't."

It's very likely that the leak was from Trump.

traditionalguy said...

With terrible Flynn, the terrible Trump has recognized the Islamic Jihad as our security challenge. Which is exactly what FDR did, even to the extent of making Russia an ally against it.

Apparently a populous Trump now has such a loyal following that the Enemymedia that jumped the shark attacking him, have them a new strategy. Their co-ordinated Media Slander Machine has pivoted for an all out attack on Trump's supporters.

And the Globalist's war on American Greatness goes on and on.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Flynn who worked for Russian state TV denouncing his own American President. Flynn is a traitor, he has no place getting classified information."
All this concern about classified information! This is new behavior from "Unknown."

tim in vermont said...

Well, the New York Times knows all about "loose relationships with the facts" Mostly they think opinions are facts and opinions that differ from their own are factually wrong. Not to mention the huge universe of things that look to the rest of us like facts, for instance, that the most obvious reason Hillary put in a private server was to hide stuff she did as Secretary of State from oversight and FOIA, 'facts' like that, are not facts at all in the eyes of the New York Times.

Gahrie said...

What is wrong with being Islamophobic? Islam seeks to kill or enslave me and destroy my civilization.

LYNNDH said...

It's fun watching the Exploding Heads. So many more to come.

tim in vermont said...

Flynn who worked for Russian state TV denouncing his own American President. - Unknown

So you blow a cork every time you hear of somebody denouncing Trump overseas, right? And what is the deal with you Democrats beating the war drums against Russia? I personally don't want anything to do with this war Hillary has been trying to gin up. I thought you guys were on board with the whole peaceful coexistence with Russia when you ridiculed Palin and Romney for even bringing them up.

Anonymous said...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/michael-flynn-key-trump-aide-sat-in-on-intel-briefings-while-advising-foreign-clients-004512931.html

"Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has reportedly been offered the role of national security adviser in Donald Trump’s White House, began receiving classified national security briefings last summer while he was also running a private consulting firm that offered “all-source intelligence support” to international clients.

Flynn’s relationship with his overseas clients is coming in for new scrutiny amid recent disclosures that two months ago, during the height of the presidential campaign, his consulting firm, the Flynn Intel Group, registered to lobby for a Dutch company owned by a wealthy Turkish businessman close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey."

Anonymous said...

"“This is profoundly troubling and should be disqualifying,” said Norm Eisen, who served as President Obama’s ethics adviser and later as an ambassador to the Czech Republic. He predicted that if Flynn is named as Trump’s national security adviser, “there will be wholesale resignations of national security professionals, and I believe some have already drafted their resignation letters.”"

chickelit said...

dreams said...While the corrupt media try to destroy Jeff Bannon.

Steve Bannon just personifies the Breitbart media. And the Breitbart media is an existential threat to the alphabet news media: ABC, PBS, CBS, and their cable counterparts. That is why they reflexively hate Bannon. Steve Bannon is bad for their business.

chickelit said...

He predicted that if Flynn is named as Trump’s national security adviser, “there will be wholesale resignations of national security professionals, and I believe some have already drafted their resignation letters.”"

What would be interesting is if the resignees outed themselves as radical Islam sympathizers. Then Trump would not have to fire them.

Anonymous said...

"One retired military officer who has advised both Republican and Democratic presidents said of the allegations about Flynn: “If this is true, it’s a disqualifying conflict of interest — if not by ethics laws, certainly in the spirit of conflict of interest, not to mention security regulations. We should be deeply concerned about his ethical judgment, but more specifically how can he possibly provide unbiased advice to the POTUS about Turkey and Russia, when he’s taken money from both.”"

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The media are hysterically insane.

Trump has been President Elect for less than two weeks and they are all over him for taking too long....moving too fast...making the wrong decisions when he hasn't even made any formal announcements of his decisions. They get all bent out of shape because he had dinner with his family, without their obnoxious presence.

I think Trump is playing them like a fiddle by letting all these wild speculations get out. Watching them twitch, spin and froth. It seems like a fun game.

Personally I want Trump to take his time. Carefully consider all the people. Get their input. Consider the ramifications of moving someone from one position they currently hold to another position. Take his time and make good choices for his team. Not the choices the media wants.

The media people are literally insane. No wonder we don't pay any attention to them.

dreams said...

"He predicted that if Flynn is named as Trump’s national security adviser, “there will be wholesale resignations of national security professionals, and I believe some have already drafted their resignation letters.”"

Thereby helping to fulfill Trump's promise of draining the swamp.

chickelit said...

There must be untold Saudi petrodollars infiltrating our Government. That is the source of radical Islam sympathy and influence in Washington, DC. It's going to take time to root it out, but it will be worth it.

Lewis Wetzel said...

He predicted that if Flynn is named as Trump’s national security adviser, “there will be wholesale resignations of national security professionals, and I believe some have already drafted their resignation letters.”"
Lately people have been predicting all kinds of crazy stuff that never happened.
When you parse what Eisen is saying, it is . . . nothing.

CJinPA said...

I was at the gym this morning watching a bank of TVs, no audio, with network morning shows.

One of them, ABC I think, started flashing ominous quotes on the screen regarding Flynn. My first reaction was: That looks just like a negative ad from a political campaign.

Anonymous said...

National Security Advisor. Russia must be laughing their asses off.

BarrySanders20 said...


50+ word opening sentence/paragraphs leave me out of breath. What happened next will blow your mind if you are a misophoniac.

Lewis Wetzel said...

" . . . but more specifically how can he possibly provide unbiased advice to the POTUS about Turkey and Russia, when he’s taken money from both"
And we are back to Secretary of State Hillary and the Clinton Global Initiative again. Are you obsessed, "Unknown"? You've been beat. No one here is buying what you are selling.

Qwinn said...

Unknown and the media are suddenly worried about national security and accepting foreign donations. F'ing hilarious considering how insanely horrible Hillary and Obama both were in those regards, and how lame their attacks on Flynn are. I wonder what changed?

Lewis Wetzel said...

Hey, "Unknown"!, the 1980s are calling! They want their foreign policy back!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

After promising not to, the NYT doubles down on OPINION MASQUERADING AS NEWS.

trumpintroublenow said...

Not surprising the main criteria for appointments seems to be how long they they have supported Trump. Since they can recognize genius, they must be extraordinary themselves.

dreams said...
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dreams said...

"He has close ties to Wichita-based Koch Industries..."

I'm a big fan of the Koch brothers, they are very talented men. One of their other brothers Bill, the twin brother of David, is also very talented too having taken his share of the inheritance and compounding it into big wealth. The oldest brother was always of a more literary artistic nature and rumored to be gay

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Koch!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Koch is catnip for leftist ears.

BarrySanders20 said...

"After promising not to, the NYT doubles down on OPINION MASQUERADING AS NEWS."

This is the promised rededication to the fundamental mission.

dreams said...

"National Security Advisor. Russia must be laughing their asses off."

Yeah, they're laughing, like you.

khesanh0802 said...

Our unknown "unknown" (not Yancey) has gone around the bend and may never come back. She/he/it thinks Flynn's a bad guy for something or other to do with the Russians, while Hillary only arranged a large uranium sale to the Russians. Balanced thinking!

Lewis Wetzel said...

Next "Unknown" will tell us that Flynn abandoned our Libyan ambassador to certain death at the hands of Jihadis, then lied about it and said it was a riot about something on Youtube.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

There must be untold Saudi petrodollars infiltrating our Government. That is the source of radical Islam sympathy and influence in Washington, DC.

That's what I have always thought also. It's Occam's Razor.

William said...

They didn't froth at Reince Priebus and Romney, but every other name and nomination has caused paroxysms of rage among the Democrats. I don't know if there are calipers wide enough to measure the outrage, but I wonder which nominee has caused the most grief. I'm still hoping that Sarah Palin gets named for something, perhaps chairman of the FCC........Does it say anything about Obama's perspacity that he named such a dangerous man Flynn to be security adviser to his Defense Department?........ I think the only way out of this mess is to name Hillary as chief of his transition team.

traditionalguy said...

Those damn commies are evil and bad, I tell you. They are even inside our the International Space Station...oh yeah, that's how we get there.

trumpintroublenow said...

Flynn tweeted on Nov 2 that Hillary is involved with sex crimes with Children. He cites to truepundit.com. which "reports":

"The new emails contain travel documents and itineraries indicating Hillary Clinton, President Bill Clinton, Weiner and multiple members of Congress and other government officials accompanied convicted pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein on his Boeing 727 on multiple occasions to his private island in the U.S Virgin Islands, sources said. Epstein’s island has also been dubbed Orgy Island or Sex Slave Island where Epstein allegedly pimps out underage girls and boys to international dignitaries.

Both NYPD and FBI sources confirm based on the new emails they now believe Hillary Clinton traveled as Epstein’s guest on at least six occasions, probably more when all the evidence is combed, sources said. Bill Clinton, it has been confirmed in media reports spanning recent years, that he too traveled with Epstein over 20 times to the island."


And this is the main guy who will recommend that Trump use or not use nuclear weapons. SCARY.

YoungHegelian said...

“there will be wholesale resignations of national security professionals, and I believe some have already drafted their resignation letters.”

Oh, sure. Just like the FBI was threatening mass resignations over not prosecuting Hillary according to certain right-wing sources.

If you think any group of DC bureaucrats are going to walk away from their cushy Federal jobs & screw up their pensions, retirement benefits, post-retirement consulting/double dipping over something as trivial as an act of conscience, you've got another thing coming.

khesanh0802 said...

@ Unknown 9:30 Good! It will save them being fired. Our foreign policy has been so stellar under Obama that the entire edifice at State, NSA and CIA should be destroyed and replaced.

BTW Erdogan - whether anyone likes him or not - is a NATO ally fighting ISIS (when not fighting the Kurds or his fellow citizens). He probably has been getting the same briefings that Flynn got.

Hillary, of course, had ALL (!) her Top Secret correspondence on a computer that anyone could - and did -access.

mccullough said...

As a policy matter, is it better to work with Russia against Islamic terrorism or to continue the current policy. About 100,000 Muslims are given green cards each year. Is this sound policy? Is what Merkel did in Germany admitting almost one million refugees into a country of 80 million good policy?

I'll take my chances with an approach different from Obama and Merkel

Scientific Socialist said...

Mike Pompeo "has close ties to Wichita-based Koch Industries..."

With Harry Reid's retirement, look for the NYT to crank up their Koch Brothers fetish.

Bill R said...

I thought the Times promised to stop.

dreams said...

"There must be untold Saudi petrodollars infiltrating our Government. That is the source of radical Islam sympathy and influence in Washington, DC."

The Saudis are beginning to fall on hard times as we keep finding more fracking resources and become more energy independent.

mikee said...

I don't fear Muslims, but I do detest those who use violence to further their vision of the Muslim faith. Is there a better word than "Islamophobia" to describe my condition, my opinion of such people?

And as to the Saudis, they can only keep their current spending levels going for about 5 years more, maybe 10, with their current CASH RESERVES and oil at $45/barrel. Should they need to dip into their other assets, held in just about every nation worldwide, they would run out of money in about a half century or so at current spending levels if all their oil stopped flowing today. So golly yeah, them Saudis sure are hurting.

Tank said...

He should appoint the Koch brothers to a couple of posts, just for the entertainment value. He is the worlds bestest troll ever.

n.n said...

It could be worse. It could be Obama or Clinton and ties to Islamic terrorism, Mexican drug cartels, or Planned Parenthood. And they are both class diversitists.

trumpintroublenow said...

n.n. - Do you just make things up as you go along? What are the "ties" between Obama and Islamic terrorism and Mexican drug cartels?

Darrell said...

Remember when the only thing you would see or hear about the President-Elect before the inauguration was a 30-sec clip of he and his family going to Disney World.

Tim said...

Norm Eisen, who served as President Obama’s ethics adviser ---

obviously not good at his job.

Lauderdale Vet said...

Michael Yon thinks Flynn is a good choice, and I trust Michael Yon.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Hewitt tweets:

"Remarkable: People ok with novelist/speechwriter 39 year old @rhodes44 as DepNatSecAdvisor are upset w/ Lt Gen Flynn, fmr head of DIA and 35 years in uniform and deployed against the enemy, author and decorated Pentagon veteran. They don't like his tweets. Just amazing."

(Two tweets)

dreams said...

"And as to the Saudis, they can only keep their current spending levels going for about 5 years more, maybe 10, with their current CASH RESERVES and oil at $45/barrel. Should they need to dip into their other assets, held in just about every nation worldwide, they would run out of money in about a half century or so at current spending levels if all their oil stopped flowing today. So golly yeah, them Saudis sure are hurting."

There are thousands in the prince family and they do have plenty of money in other countries that they can retreat to but Saudi Arabia doesn't have any other industry so its the people of Saudi Arabia who will experience the hard times.

SukieTawdry said...

I like these appointments very much. I remember Mike Pompeo from the first wave of Tea Party candidates. First in his class at West Point (an infantry man like Bradley), HLS graduate, experience in and out of government. He was like a dream candidate. He's well versed in national security issues which have been his particular focus in the House and well thought of by the CIA people who work with Congress. I think he's an excellent choice.

So far, Trump is governing in a manner that would make me pleased to vote for him in 2020.

cornroaster said...

CNN Money Headline: Still No Trump News Conference

After Hillary went most of the campaign without a press conference without complaint from the compliant media.

Big Mike said...

@William (10:03), I like Palin for Secretary of Energy.

Darrell said...

The internet is blowing up because Ivanka was there when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe showed up to Trump Tower for a visit. Lefties are trying to make this the crime of the century now--at least today's COTC candidate.

Christopher B said...

Jake said... Are those straight news stories or editorials?

At this point, what difference does it make?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

What's the phrase? "Elections have consequences?" Yep.

MayBee said...

The internet is blowing up because Ivanka was there when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe showed up to Trump Tower for a visit.

Yeah, I'm trying to think how much the internet would care if it had been Michelle Obama in 2008 or Bill Clinton, had Hillary won.

It just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I think the left has either lost it's everlovin' mind, or they are working the refs.

Ambrose said...

From the NYT article;

"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."

Here is a quick way to spot the liberal bias in any news article. Look for the passive voice. The author does not tell us who exactly it is that regards them as "outliers"; who exactly "shunned" them in various ways, or who exactly saw their "viewpoints" as "unacceptable." Who could that person be? Could it be the NYT itself that has these views?

hombre said...

Although Trump occasionally campaigned like a child, it appears he will govern like a grownup and without regard to past Republican opposition.

Meanwhile, the NYT and WaPo double down on the strategy that lost the election, readers, advertisers and profits. Evidently, they suppose participants in the shrinking liberal circle jerk they call their readers, will somehow save them. They imagine that as journalists who cannot distinguish between the importance of alleged, decades-old words and current deeds they should still be taken seriously.

Their Trump-bashing has become as predictable as, and less important than, supermarket tabloid speculation on the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge and Jennifer Aniston.

hombre said...

Unknown is scouring alt-left sources and the other usual suspects to smear Gen. Flynn because, unlike Democrat loons, he noticed Islam is not "a religion of peace."

The incorrigible, ineducable Unknown has morphed into "Unknowing" with the rise of Trump.

trumpintroublenow said...

That's right Ambrose. The right-wing press never uses unnamed sources in their stories. I agree we should take unsourced information with much skepticism, but it is not a left v right issue.

MaxedOutMama said...

Execrable. All the president's men are execrable. For some reason, we don't use "deplorable" any more.

Other good words would be lamentable, odious, loathsome, reprehensible and abhorrent.

The NYT style book must be getting an update just for Trump coverage.

Bay Area Guy said...

Mike Pompeo isn't well known, but is a total stud.

West Point Grad -- Calvary Officer

Harvard Law School, 1st in his class, Editor of Law Review, then Williams & Connolly.

Ran a small military defense firm, then to Congress.

I like Pompeo, and Trump for nominating him.

Sam L. said...

Terrible, prof? Noooooooooo. They're all much more horrible than THAT!

n.n said...

Steve Uhr:

Arms, logistics, as well as legitimacy.

SukieTawdry said...

West Point Grad -- Calvary Officer

Yeah, you're right. For some reason I thought it was infantry.

viejo loco said...

Unknown, who has apparently lost the location of his brain. If it is sitting down, it has already crushed it.
Stever Uhr - Unknown's mini-me.

MacMacConnell said...

You folks are missing the real news of the day! The wookie's fashion designer Sophie Theallet, who specializes in hiding very large asses, will not, refuses to design for Mrs. Trump. A. Mrs. Trump doesn't need Sophie Theallet's special talent. B. No one has asked her to. C. She's a French designer, how would that MAGA?

Fabi said...

I hope the lefties stop beclowning themselves in the next day or two -- it's unhealthy for me to have this much fun!

Doug said...

Geraldo on Fox News is already on the narrative change: "Enough of the grumpy white men, I hope he brings some diversity to his cabinet choices." Because Diversity Uber Alles. Who ties liberals shoes for them?

SukieTawdry said...

Geraldo on Fox News is already on the narrative change: "Enough of the grumpy white men, I hope he brings some diversity to his cabinet choices."

I kinda hope he appoints nothing BUT grumpy white men and that they all perform brilliantly.

gadfly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hagar said...

West Point Grad -- Calvary Officer

A chaplain?

Lewis Wetzel said...

Flynn co-authored a book with Michael Ledeen (a Jew. Does Bannon know?).
The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies.
Just think of how warmly the Left would welcome Flynn's appointment as Trump's National Security Adviser if his book was titled The Field of Flight: How We Can Lose the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies.

narciso said...

re the next talking point,

https://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2016/11/18/crying-wolf-on-race-top-jeff-sessions-critic-gerry-hebert-has-history-of-making-it-up/

Brad said...

Wow ... are those supposedly "news" reports?