Trump meets Romney in search for secretary of state
Trump’s first three Cabinet members include attorney general once blocked as judge after racism claims
DONALDMittcan who Romney, adversary,to appoint TRUMPhis as formerto will he the today considers Republi- position meet of Mr secretary Romney,of state.a centre-Right conservative who ran against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, has been a longtime opponent of Mr Trump, calling him a “con man” and a “fake”.
But the decision to meet Mr Romney today, at the Trump golf course in New Jersey, signals an effort by the president-elect to mend fences with establishment politicians he attacked during his presidential campaign.
The news follows three controversial cabinet appointments, in- cluding Mike Pompeo, a little known senator who has defended waterboarding, as CIA director.
Mr Trump so far appears to have prioritised loyalty over qualification in his appointments.
He also yesterday nominated as his attorney general Jeff Sessions, a Republican politician from Alabama who was previously turned down for the post of federal judge because of allegations of racism.
Mr Sessions, a representative of Alabama, was the first US senator to back Mr Trump.
His national security adviser will be Mike Flynn, a retired general who has previously called Islam “a cancer” and declared that he is “at war” with the religion.
DONALD TRUMP has appointed as his CIA director Mike Pompeo, a little known senator who has claimed waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques” are lawful. Mr Trump yesterday also nominated as his attorney general Jeff Sessions, a Republican politician from Alabama who was turned down for the post of federal judge because of allegations of racism.
The appointments are the second and third cabinet roles to be filled after Mike Flynn, a retired military general whose decorated career has been overshadowed by controversial statements about Islam, was named national security adviser on Thursday night.
Mr Pompeo, a 52-year-old member of the Tea Party and senator for Kansas, served in the army as a cavalry officer before training as a lawyer and entered politics in 2011. He made his fortune after founding Thayer Aerospace, and then received strong backing from the Koch brothers, the billionaire Republican donors who are based in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas.
Before starting the job, Mr Pompeo will have to be confirmed by the US Senate – something that could be complicated by his past support for the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques”. Mr Pompeo denounced the 2014 release of a senate report which found that many of these practices are torture and are unhelpful to national security. Mr Trump said during his presidential campaign, “We should go tougher than waterboarding”, a technique which simulates drowning.
Amnesty International said yesterday it was greatly concerned about Mr Pompeo’s appointment and called on the senator to explain his views.
A member of the House Intelligence committee, Mr Pompeo is known for his support of the NSA surveillance programmes and his strong criticism of whistleblower Edward Snowden. He caused anger in June 2013 when he said Muslims who fail to condemn terrorist acts were “potentially complicit”.
Mr Trump’s choice of Mr Sessions as attorney general is a sign he is rewarding key allies. The 69-year-old was the first senator to endorse Mr Trump and defended him on television after the leak of Mr Trump’s comments about groping women.
In 1986, Mr Sessions became only the second nominee in 50 years to be denied confirmation as a federal judge, after allegations he had made racist remarks. Those included testimony that he called an African-American prosecu- tor “boy,” an allegation he denied. Mr Sessions said he was not a racist, but said at his hearing that groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union could be considered “un-American.”
Mr Trump’s appointment of Mr Flynn as national security adviser puts back into power a retired intelligence officer who has called Islam “a cancer”. The president-elect, who is to spend the weekend at his golf course in New Jersey, said he would today meet contenders for secretary of state. He is also
‘Bannon, Flynn and Sessions – Americans are taking back our government, nation and children’s future’
scheduled to meet Mitt Romney, the former presidential candidate.
Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate Democratic leader, said he was “very concerned” about Mr Trump’s selection of Mr Sessions.
Sources inside the transition team yesterday also reportedly confirmed the appointment of Mike Huckabee, the Republican former governor of Arkansas and two-time presidential hopeful, as ambassador to Israel. He supports Mr Trump’s controversial plan to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.