Trump’s national security picks under scrutiny

It was announced Friday that Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama will lead the Department of Justice under President – Elect Donald Trump.

Sessions, 69, a former Alabama attorney general and USA attorney, will serve as Trump’s top law enforcement officer as the president-elect seeks to tackle divisive issues such as immigration.

Trump also named retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. To serve, Sessions and Pompeo must be confirmed by the Senate.

Mr Sessions, of Alabama, was denied a federal judgeship in 1986 after hearings in which he was accused of making racially charged remarks as a USA attorney.

His strong commitment to fiscal conservatism made him a darling of the Tea Party movement and his tough views on immigration made him a natural ally for Mr Trump.

Trump had said he planned to reward loyalty, and he demonstrated such with his nomination of Sessions, who was the first senator to endorse him. The responsibilities are wide-reaching and can sound a bit vague, but Sessions would be a powerful figure as the next attorney general.

Meanwhile, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., head of the House transportation committee, told The Associated Press that Trump likes the idea of spinning off air traffic control operations from the government and placing them under the control of a private, nonprofit corporation chartered by Congress. “We’re afraid that an Attorney General like Jeff Sessions would be lax on protecting civil rights”.

While the panel found no wrongdoing by the administration, Pompeo and another member appended to the final report a commentary accusing Clinton and other officials of failing to protect the posts and to respond appropriately to the attacks.

But Bay area medical and recreational marijuana advocates are concerned Sessions will shut down the budding industry – right after California voters legalized recreational marijuana on November 8.

Shortly after the announcement, Sessions – who was Trump’s first endorser in the Senate – said he was “humbled” to be nominated for the position by Trump.

Flynn’s appointment does not need approval from the Senate. A three-term congressman, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and from Harvard Law School.

Sessions was also honored a year ago by the Alabama Jewish community for his efforts as a “friend of Israel”.

Sessions, 69, was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic backers of Trump’s presidential bid.

Flynn, one of Trump’s closest advisers, was sacked from the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, a move he has attributed to his outspoken views about fighting Islamist militancy. Flynn said he was paid for taking part in the event, but brushed aside concerns that he was aiding a Russian propaganda effort. His hardline opposition to both legal and illegal immigration was apparently the basis for his early enthusiasm for the Trump campaign. They also criticised his support for the National Security Agency’s (NSA) now-defunct bulk communications metadata collection and other surveillance programs. His schedule in Bedminster was to include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

He also consulted with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and sat down with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a potential contender to lead the State Department.

Trump is considering retired General David Petraeus, who resigned as Central Intelligence Agency chief in 2012 after an extra-marital affair, is being considered for the post of defence secretary, the Wall Street Journal said.

Romney seemed to give weight to speculation that he would become the US’s top diplomat, telling reporters after the meeting Saturday that he and Trump had a “far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance”.