Tumult stalling Trump’s transition

WASHINGTON • U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who clashed with leading Republicans throughout his campaign, faces tumult in his national security transition team and broad criticism over his views and choices.

Former Michigan congressman Mike Rogers, thought to be a leading candidate to run the CIA, was among those pushed out of the team over the past two days — a move that has added to the anxiety across the upper ranks of U.S. intelligence agencies.

The changes came as Trump met Tuesday with incoming Vice-President Mike Pence to discuss cabinet and White House personnel choices. Pence last week replaced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as head of Trump’s transition efforts, and Christie’s associates now find themselves losing influence.

Sources say there is a power struggle within the transition team, including an effort by Trump’s son-inlaw, Jared Kushner, to purge the ranks of loyalists to Christie.

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Also Tuesday, Sen. John McCain, perhaps the most influential Republican on security matters, weighed in on Trump’s efforts to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying any efforts to “reset” relations with Russia were unacceptable.

McCain issued a statement blasting Putin as “a former KGB agent who has plunged his country into tyranny, murdered his political opponents, invaded his neighbours, threatened America’s allies and attempted to undermine America’s elections.”

A former U.S. official with ties to the Trump team described the ousters of Rogers and others as a “bloodletting of anybody that associated in any way on the transition with Christie,” and said the departures were engineered by Kushner and retired Lt.Gen. Michael Flynn.

Rogers had been tapped by Christie to lead national security planning for the transition. But Rogers was “fired” by Kushner, sources said, apparently in retaliation for Christie’s role as a U.S. prosecutor in sending Kushner’s father to prison. Christie in 2004 prosecuted Charles Kushner for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions.

Rogers’ departure adds to the list of positions for which the Trump team is struggling to find suitable candidates.

Now operating below Pence on the transition team, sources said, are advisers close to Sen. Jeff Sessions — a Trump associate known for his hardline views on immigration — and former Breitbart News head Stephen Bannon. Bannon’s appointment as chief White House strategist was denounced by advocacy groups who accuse him of racist, anti-Semitic and misogynist views.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that Trump must retract his appointment of Bannon, calling Bannon a “champion of white supremacy” whose hiring undermines Trump’s call for national unity.

“By placing a champion of white supremacy a step away from the Oval Office, what message does Trump send?” Reid said in a Senate speech.

Sen. Bernie Sanders took aim at Trump’s inclusion of lobbyists and industry executives on his transition team, blasting the president-elect for going back on a campaign promise to keep special interests out of Washington.

“Mr. Trump described himself as a populist taking on the establishment, someone who would ‘drain the swamp,’” Sanders said. “Unfortunately what we’re beginning to see is what I feared, which is a lot of what Mr. Trump said to get votes is not what he intends to do as president of the United States.”

Eliot Cohen, a leading voice of opposition to Trump among former GOP national security officials during the campaign, blasted Trump’s transition team for its treatment of perceived foes.

Cohen drew widespread attention for his tweet: “After exchange w Trump transition team, changed my recommendation: stay away. They’re angry, arrogant, screaming ‘you LOST!’ Will be ugly,’’ Cohen tweeted.