Trump’s CIA pick says he will accept nomination

NPR’s David Welna reports.

Maj. Gen. Charles Flynn is commander of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, a key unit in the Army’s contribution to the Obama administration’s rebalance of forces to the Pacific. That success was dotted with Pentagon investigations – including one internal Pentagon probe that substantiated Flynn’s inappropriate sharing of classified intelligence with allies – and his uniformed career ended when he was unceremoniously pushed out of the Defense Intelligence Agency after heated run-ins with the Obama administration over its ISIS strategy. He held the position for two years before retiring in 2014 after reportedly being forced out for his poor management style. His choices for secretary of state are said to include former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Tennessee senator Bob Corker and SC governor Nikki Haley, who met with Mr Trump on Thursday. And at this year’s GOP convention, he let loose against what he called the last eight years of Obama-Clinton failures. He denounced the Iran deal, which granted Tehran sanctions relief for rolling back its nuclear weapons program, and was a member of the congressional committee that blasted Hillary Clinton over the attack on a US diplomatic outpost in Libya. Yes, that’s right. Lock her up! A congressman since 2011, Pompeo serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the House Intelligence Committee.

The role of national security adviser is an extremely important one which leads and energizes a number of major governmental departments. “So we all as members of Congress, who have a constitutional obligation, have a duty to make sure that we all live to that standard”. And in a role of national security adviser you want someone who’s steady and works well in a collaborative process with others in the national security infrastructure.

However, the fact that Flynn was overseeing a company that was lobbying on behalf of foreign clients at the same time he was attending classified briefings alongside Trump seems to complicate the transition, especially given Trump’s stated goal of “draining the swamp” in Washington.

Since retiring, he has operated a consulting business with foreign clients and acknowledged making a television appearance previous year with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was aired by and paid for by Russia Today, the state-run television network.The occasion was a party to celebrate the network’s anniversary.

Likewise, Flynn’s bio on Twitter says “Believe in #AmericanExceptionalism” and “I stand for American principles and values”. “We need to adjust our foreign policy to recognize Turkey as a priority”, Flynn wrote.

The selection of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn for National Security Adviser has local Muslim leaders concerned about what it could mean for their community members. Jeff Sessions as attorney general and Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo to head the Central Intelligence Agency, turning to a pair of staunch conservatives as he begins to fill out his Cabinet. But I have respect for him. “So I think it’s appropriate to begin to discuss this”.

Nevertheless, Democrats who have worked with him joined Republicans in describing Pompeo as knowledgeable and hard working. No surprise, he also boasts ties to some of the more unhinged elements of the neoconservative movement like the author Michael Leeden.

MIKE POMPEO: It casts doubt upon the commitment to peace by adherents of the Muslim faith. It is risky. It must end.

He proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the USA in order to prevent terror attacks on U.S. mainland. Jon Soltz, an Army veteran who heads the group VoteVets, is dismayed by Pompeo’s nomination. Muslims “All on Guard’ Speaking this summer at an ACT for America event in Dallas, Flynn likened Islam to “a cancer”, according to the Dallas Morning News, adding that documents taken from terrorist groups tell followers to “get into the bloodstream of the opposition”, which Flynn said he interprets as attacks on Western nations”.