A Look at Donald Trump’s Disturbing Foreign Policy Appointments
Potential additions to the president-elect’s administration represent a shift in foreign policy position, perhaps contradicting some of his campaign promises. Potential additions to the president-elect’s administration represent a shift in foreign policy position, contradicting his campaign promises.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, thought to be the top pick for national security adviser, at a Trump rally. (Gage Skidmore / CC 2.0)
Late last week, news broke that President-elect Donald Trump had chosen Mike Pompeo to head the Central Intelligence Agency. This choice was questioned by politicians and news outlets alike. “If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Pompeo would become one of the most overtly partisan figures to take over the C.I.A.,” noted The New York Times.
The criticism of Pompeo goes beyond his past public positions. Paul Jay at The Real News Network recently talked with CIA analyst Raymond McGovern about Pompeo’s potential foreign policy positions.
“He’s a big fan of torture,” McGovern said of Pompeo. “He visited Guantanamo, he thought it was great.”
McGovern does hold some hope, however, that people within the CIA will hold Pompeo accountable. “I have more than just a hope, I have some evidence that there’s enough realistic, enough honest analysts left in the CIA that Pompeo would have great reason to fear that, were he to do the kinds of things that the cowardly [George] Tenet and [John] McLaughlin did, there would be leaks.”
Watch full interview below:
Concerns about Trump’s foreign policy may even cross party lines, as Jay notes in an interview with author and foreign policy analyst Phyllis Bennis.
“The extremism of some of these characters is quite profound,” Bennis said of potential additions to Trump’s administration.
She added that Trump’s possible picks may stand in opposition to his campaign promises. “[This] flies directly in the face of some of the neo-isolationism that Trump himself seemed to be playing with in the earlier stages of the campaign.”
Watch full interview below:
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