President-elect Donald Trump is compiling his national security and law enforcement teams and, so far, has tapped three conservative Trump loyalists – retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Representative Mike Pompeo, and Senator Jeff Sessions. Here is The Cipher Brief’s take on the potential national security leadership:
National Security Advisor: LTG (ret.) Michael Flynn
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn has reportedly accepted the post of National Security Advisor, a position that does not require U.S. Senate confirmation – meaning there are no barriers to his appointment.
Flynn is a three-star retired army general who served as Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director until 2014. During his time in uniform, he also served as the senior intelligence officer for the Joint Special Operations, but he is not without controversy. Flynn is known for his aggressive stance toward “radical Islamic extremism.” In a tweet in February, he posted, “Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL.”
Former Acting Director of the CIA, John McLaughlin, told The Cipher Brief, “General Flynn has strong personal views and is entitled to them of course. But his challenge – and mission – will be to be open to the views of others, including dissenting ones, and present them fairly to the President – perhaps with a recommendation but with all the options clearly stated.”
Admiral James Stavridis said, “Mike [Flynn] is well known for his hard line views in opposing radical Islam, and will carry that approach into the White House as National Security Advisor.”
Stavridis, who is a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts, noted, “Lieutenant General Flynn is smart, aggressive, and creative on the battlefield. He served brilliantly as a 2-star field intelligence officer in Afghanistan for the NATO forces.”
Echoing that sentiment, former CIA and NSA Director General Michael Hayden remarked, “most of his [Flynn’s] life experience has been at the tactical level where he has been incredibly successful in the fight against terrorism.” Hayden was speaking today at a Foundation for Defense of Democracies event in Washington, and added, “This job is going to extend him, it’s going to demand that he up his game to be more broadly strategic than just tactical.”
Still, opponents of Flynn question his ties to Russia, after being paid to give a speech in Moscow last year at an anniversary party for RT television. RT is Russia’s state-controlled news outlet, and Flynn was photographed sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the event. His consulting firm Flynn Intel Group also reportedly has ties to foreign governments, including the Turkish government; in an op-ed for The Hill this month, Flynn defended Turkey and bashed Muhammad Fethullah Gülen, the Turkish preacher and political figure who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for instigating the July coup-attempt.
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted: “Have deep concerns about Gen. Flynn as a possible National Security Advisor. Worried about an impulsive president with a volatile advisor.”
CIA Director: Rep. Mike Pompeo
Tapped for the post of CIA Director is Representative Mike Pompeo, a third term Republican congressman from Kansas. Pompeo, like Flynn, reportedly accepted the nomination but unlike Flynn, must be confirmed by the Senate.
Pompeo is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and previously served on the committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya – a position he used to heavily criticize Hillary Clinton.
McLaughlin told The Cipher Brief, “Rep. Pompeo looks like a well-qualified candidate for CIA Director. West Point grad, Harvard Law, small business experience, member of the House intelligence committee. The important part of the journey for any member of congress taking the position is to leave the politics behind. […] Pompeo has shown on the intelligence committee great concern for analytic integrity […] So this should be a natural evolution for him.”
In a similar vein, Hayden said about Pompeo, “When I saw the choice I was heartened. I think this is a serious man who takes these questions seriously and who has studied these questions,” referring to intelligence and cyber issues.
Pompeo has taken criticism for his support of expanded U.S. surveillance operations and for inflammatory remarks he made about Muslims after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, saying to the House Speaker, “It’s been just under two months since the attacks in Boston, and in those intervening weeks, the silence of Muslim leaders has been deafening.”
Pompeo is also strongly against the Iran nuclear deal, mirroring the position Trump took on the campaign trail. In a tweet, Pompeo said, “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
Yet a number of politicos are backing his nomination. Rep. Schiff tweeted, “While we’ve had our share of strong differences, I know he’s someone who is willing to listen and engage, both key qualities in CIA Director.”
Attorney General: Sen. Jeff Sessions
For Attorney General, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a staunch conservative like Pompeo, has reportedly accepted the job – although he must also be confirmed by the Senate.
Sessions, a former Alabama attorney general and U.S. attorney, was the first senator to announce his support for Trump. He is an army veteran and senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as chairman of its Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
Sessions is known for his hard line on immigration. If approved by the Senate, he will hold major sway over immigration enforcement – for example, over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals scheme (DACA) which grants migrants brought into the U.S. as children the right to stay and work. He is also known for an alleged history of racist comments from his time as a federal prosecutor in Alabama.
Sessions has shown little tolerance for terrorist suspects, accusing former Attorney General Eric Holder in 2009 of being “too soft” on terrorism.
“Senator Sessions is a fine, decent man & principled conservative. He has the experience and ability to serve as Attorney General of the U.S.,” tweeted Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Senator Dianne Feinstein, a democrat from California who was just elected the next ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, commented on the upcoming nomination process for Sessions, saying in a statement, “While Senator Sessions and I differ on a great many issues, I am committed to a full and fair process.”
Kaitlin Lavinder is a reporter at The Cipher Brief. Follow her on Twitter @KaitLavinder.
