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Race To White House News
President-Elect Trump’s Picks Cause Pause And Concern
President-elect Donald Trump continued to fill out his administration Friday, by tap- ping some of his most promi- nent supporters for top posts.
Trump will nominate Ala- bama Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security ad- viser, his transition team an- nounced Friday.
Sessions and Flynn were among Trump's most promi- nent supporters throughout the campaign and both have made controversial comments about minorities. Pompeo is a con- servative firebrand and fierce Obama administration critic.
All three have years of experi- ence in Washington.
Here's more on Trump's latest picks:
Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General
In February, the Alabama sen- ator became the first sitting sen- ator to endorse Trump during his campaign. His name was
also floated as a possible run- ning mate for Trump.
Sessions is chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immi- gration, and served as an adviser on Trump's immigration policy plan during his campaign.
When he first endorsed Trump, Sessions praised the then-GOP contender as some- one who would finally fix illegal immigration.
As a current member of the Senate, it's unlikely that Ses- sions' Republican colleagues will try to block his nomination. But Democrats and liberal groups are sure to focus on Ses- sions' controversial past.
In the 1980s, Sessions was considered for a Ronald Rea- gan-appointed federal district judgeship in Alabama, but was blocked by the Senate after a Black former deputy, Thomas Figures, accused him of mak- ing racially insensitive state- ments. Figures said that Sessions had once warned him to be careful about what he said to "white folks."
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said in a statement that, "No Senator has fought harder against the hopes and aspira- tions of Latinos, immigrants, and people of color than Sen. Sessions."
Ret. Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn for national security adviser
Flynn — a controversial fig- ure who has been known to es- chew "political correctness" — is
a Trump loyalist who stayed by the candidate's side even as other national security experts sharply criticized him during the campaign.
NBC News reported in July that Trump's team vetted Flynn as a possible vice presi- dential running mate.
But Trump has offered Flynn the job as a national se- curity adviser.
The special assistant to the president for national security affairs coordinates the synthesis and presentation of the informa- tion generated by the vast U.S. national security apparatus — the State Department, the De- fense Department, the CIA, the National Security Agency and a host of other intelligence agen- cies. The national security ad- viser serves as the president's top day-to-day counselor on for- eign and military affairs.
Flynn's appointment doesn't require confirmation by the Sen- ate.
Flynn, 57, a 33-year veteran of the Army, was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
from 2012 to 2014.
As speculation about Flynn's
appointment spread Thursday night, critics highlighted some of his controversial past state- ments. In February, Flynn said on Twitter that "fear of Muslims is rational."
Shortly after the announce- ment, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is leading Trump's transi- tion effort, questioning possible conflicts of interest Flynn may have because of his work con- sulting foreign clients.
Rep. Mike Pompeo
for CIA director Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo
has accepted Trump's offer to be CIA chief in his new administra- tion, the transition team an- nounced.
Pompeo, a 52-year-old Wi- chita Republican, was elected to Congress in 2010 as part of the wave endorsed by the tea party and backed by Republican mega-donors Charles and David Koch. He is a former Army officer and Harvard grad-
uate who serves on the House Intelligence Committee.
He was also a vocal member of the House Select Benghazi Committee, a special panel con- vened to probe the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Pompeo and Rep. Jim Jor- dan, R-Ohio, released their own report criticizing former Secre- tary of State Hillary Clinton in her role at the time, saying she misled Americans about how the attack evolved because Presi- dent Barack Obama was up for re-election.
Pompeo has gotten backlash from past remarks about Mus- lims after saying on the House floor in 2013 that Islamic lead- ers failed to widely condemn the Boston marathon bombing — and appeared "complicit" in the attack.
Still, many CIA insiders say they are pleased with the pick, calling Pompeo a much more favorable option than other names that have been floated. He has been regularly interact- ing with the agency because of his work as a member of the House Permanent Subcommit- tee on Intelligence.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Pompeo "very bright and hard working."
Ellen DeGeneres And Robert De Niro Receive Medals Of Freedom
President Barack Obama named 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Na- tion’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially merito- rious contributions to the se- curity or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. The awards will be presented at the White House
on November 22nd.
Two of the recipients are
ELLEN DEGENERES
well known entertainers, Ellen DeGeneres and
award-winning comedian who has hosted her popular daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003 with her trademarked humor, humility, and optimism. In 1997, after coming out herself, DeGeneres made TV history when her character on Ellen revealed she was a lesbian. In her work and in her life, she has been a passionate advo- cate for equality and fairness.
Robert De Niro has brought to life some of the most memorable roles in American film during a career that spans five decades. His first major film roles were in the sports drama Bang the Drum Slowly and Martin Scorsese's crime film Mean Streets. He is a seven-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Oscar winner, and is also a Kennedy Center hon- oree.
ROBERT DE NIRO
Robert De Niro.
Ellen DeGeneres is an
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