As I noted here, the attempt to restore sanity and truth to the U.S. response to the jihad threat is going to encounter fierce resistance from the forces of obscurantism and willful ignorance.
“Obama Allies Working to Undermine Trump’s National Security Team,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, January 21, 2017:
Democrats loyal to former President Barack Obama are waging a behind-the-scenes effort to undermine President Donald Trump’s national security team by blocking key appointees, according to multiple sources familiar with the outgoing administration’s efforts.
The centerpiece of this obstruction is the recent refusal by Senate Democrats to quickly confirm incoming CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Democratic leaders—including Sens. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), and Patrick Leahy (Vt.)—postponed Pompeo’s confirmation, claiming they need more time to debate the pick, which is widely supported by a majority of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The decision to stall Pompeo’s vote, a move that will leave the critical post of CIA director vacant as Trump takes office, is part of a wider effort by the outgoing administration and its allies to hamstring Trump on the national security front, according to multiple sources, including those close to the Trump administration.
Gen. Michael Hayden, a former CIA director who served under former Presidents George W. Bush and Obama, told the Washington Free Beacon that he is “puzzled by the objections recently raised” by Senate Democrats.
“It’s hell being the political football,” Hayden said Saturday afternoon, ahead of a visit by both Trump and Pompeo to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.
Democrats cited Hayden’s role under Bush and Obama as a precedent for Pompeo’s holdup.
“Just as Director Hayden served as a bridge between the Bush and Obama presidencies eight years ago, Director [John] Brennan could play the same role for the incoming and outgoing administrations, if the President is willing to keep him on,” Matt House, a Schumer spokesman, said in a recent press statement.
Democrats opposing Pompeo have expressed concerns about his desire to combat terrorism by boosting the collection of personal data in the United States. They also have raised concerns about Pompeo’s stance on enhanced interrogation techniques.
Hayden dismissed these concerns, saying Democratic talking points on the matter are unconvincing.
“With regard to interrogations and surveillance, Congressman Pompeo said that he would follow the law. If his intelligence professionals advised him that current law denied him intelligence opportunities that would be otherwise available, he would so advise the Congress so that they could discuss and debate whether changes in the law might be indicated,” Hayden said. “That is the essence of a professional carrying out his duty within the American political context.”
There is nothing abnormal about Pompeo’s desire to potentially strengthen the interrogation techniques available to the U.S. military, Hayden said.
“No one could reasonably argue that the current army field manual exhausts all legally available interrogation techniques,” he explained. “If director Pompeo and his professionals judged that America was measurably less safe because of the current limitations, their duty would be to inform the president and the Congress of that judgment. They of course would live with the decision of their political and policy masters. What could possibly be controversial about that?”
The campaign to delay Pompeo’s confirmation appears to be just one piece of a larger effort aimed at undermining Trump’s national security team, multiple sources told the Free Beacon.
There is evidence Obama’s outgoing administration took steps to complicate and delay the building of Trump’s new team, according to one veteran foreign policy insider who has been in close contact with Trumps’ national security transition team.
“Something strange is going on,” the source, who is not authorized to speak on the record, said. “The Trump folks keep loading up accounts and looking at specific jobs, and they’re not finding anything like what should be there. It’s like the Obama national security team went out of their way to cripple the transition on the way out.”…

John C. Barile says
The Party of Treason at work. Let’s turn them out of office–thin the heard–of these obstructionists in the next two to four years.
John C. Barile says
That’s “thin the herd,” rather.
Alien Republican says
That’s ok. They’re deaf of sorts.
John C. Barile says
Touche.
Rob Porter says
John, once firmly in power, Trump must really ‘stick it’ to these wretched Democratic Party scum and make them rue the day they crossed his path. He can start with the disgusting Chuck Schumer, who, evidently, is too ignorant to appreciate that given the chance any number of Muslims would slit his Jewish throat. Such pitiful ignorance from the left is in fact no longer amazing, it has become standard Democratic Party practice, the product of people who do not believe in anything much anymore other than their feckless mindlessness that afflicts their puny minds.
John C. Barile says
I’ll do my part, God willing. There’s a U.S. Senator from my state up for reelection in 2018–and I’ll do whatever I can to help unseat her between now and Election Day.
Arthur says
We were all worried that Obama would refuse to leave office, when it is in actuality John Brennan, head of the Deep State, who refuses to leave. Better for the President to personally oversee the CIA than let Brennan keep access.
underbed cat says
I heard Brennan resigned. Obama wants power…Micheal Moore wants his power……no surprise leftist hold the cities, islam wants the caliphate …..maybe Moore needs to understand why Trump won…not jobs……it was the protecting the U.S, against sharia and deception of the doctrine that is inherent and dangerous and very few know.
Arthur says
Oh! Thanks for the good news!
Green McWilliams says
Not always, but often, if you want to do what is wise, just go 180 degrees opposite of whatever comes out of the mouths of the Schumers, Pelosis, Obamas, Clintons. SAD!!!
Rob Porter says
Hopefully Trump will simply fire Brennan for his poorly judged criticisms that demonstrate his unsuitability to the position.
Don McKellar says
Trump should indeed continue to keep this all above board and work with the process for as long as practical. If it continues he should do what he’s so brilliant at: make a case in front of the public for what is going on. And then, if there is still trouble with these people, he must take action — with the public being fully aware of why he took action.
Westman says
Agreed. Give them rope, first. Then, If necessary, the intelligence agencies should be whittled down to their knees and built back up with patriotism and “America First” as a prerequisite – much like what happened in the Air Controller’s strike.
Put a bunch of those Mormons in the agencies – they believe in America as a God created-and-inspired institution. They didn’t have any problem with supporting the inauguration with their choir out of respect for the institution.
The leftist seditionist-anarchist snowflakes can’t distinguish between the office and the President because they have NO RESPECT FOR EITHER.
Chris says
He said that in his inaugural speech, I thought. eliminate the dead weight??
somehistory says
brennen is evil….and isn’t he moslim? He is most definitely on the side of evil.
myworld2 says
It will be YEARS before we will realize all the damage this ‘man’ and his cohorts have done to our
country……and the people .. and I saw the first “ad” for the NEW WORLD ORDER this am so they will be working against us big time in the open NOW……HILLARY’S PAYBACK ????… action leader for ‘open borders !!!! I’m saying again WAKE UP AMERICA !!!! THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A GAME ..they are very serious about open borders as that solves most of what they want to accomplish….”ONE COLOR – ONE LANGUAGE – ONE FINANCIAL SYSTEM- AND ONE HEALTH (?) SYSTEM …AND MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM = ONE RULING GROUP – THEM !!!!!!!!
PLEASE – EVERYONE do your research now – your life is in danger
Chris says
G.R. Jeffrey wrote a book about this.
Angemon says
The Obama administration acting like a petulant child, trying to storm off with the ball because they didn’t get what they wanted? Imagine my surprise…
Bezelel says
Maybe brennen just needs more time to cover his treasonous tracks. Something strange has been going on for 8yrs.
Bill says
The GOP is just going to have to ram the appointment through. Sessions, all of them. The Dems will howl, but as O once said when he refused to concede anything on Obamacare, “Elections have consequences”.
peter says
WOMANS MARCH AND THE HAMAS
Linda Sarsour, one of the organizers behind Saturday’s Women’s March, being held in Washington, D.C., was recently spotted at a large Muslim convention in Chicago posing for pictures with an accused financier for Hamas, the terrorist group.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-organizer-recently-met-ex-hamas-operative-has-family-ties-to-terror-group/
Wellington says
As Arthur noted above, Brennan is the head of Deep State (or at least one of its heads), the entrenched higher bureaucracy, unelected, which leans very much Democratic and since the Democratic Party has lost its collective mind, people like Brennan have to go. Quick like.
Trump must do whatever he can within the law to get rid of these Deep State fools. Sadly, I don’t think he will be aided in many instances by the Republican leadership in the House and Senate, which is part of the problem too (and which very much helps to explain why Trump captured the Republican nomination for President) and thus said Republican leadership may very well be inclined to hold up draining the Swamp which is Washington DC——but which so badly needs to be drained. Quick like.
May President Trump succeed here. Better—-for freedom’s sake, for America’s sake, for the West’s sake, for humanity’s sake. And I will close here by saying that John Brennan repulses me. I mean the man is truly disgusting.
traci94 says
People like Obama, Clinton and all who are trying to hamper efforts to shore up our national security should come face to face with their own stupid, irresponsible policies in their real lives. Unfortunately, they probably won’t, living in gated communities and all, but I think that’s what it will take for these people to truly understand how devastating their policies really are. They are playing with the lives of the American people, and they just don’t seem to give a flying flip. It seems like it’s all a game.
Choi says
ONLY TRAITORS WOULD TRY TO HURT NATIONAL SECURITY
Hatred of the US was a criteria for working for Obama
DAMN THE DEMOCRATS TO HELL!!
gravenimage says
Fighting for willful ignorance: Obama allies working to undermine Trump’s national security team
………………………….
Yes–I already knew this was happening. Disgusting.
Eric Jones says
Torture does not work. Pompeo should know this. I oppose gathering more data on all Americans. All data is no data. Again Pmpeo should know this. If Pompeo wants more survallance on certain mosque, individulas and groups that would be fine. Japan puts survallance on muslims there.
It seems that Schumer is more afaid of the CIA than inticements of Saudi money. No John Brennan cannot stay on. He should be fired and on treason trial right now.
The democrats supported the Confederacy during the Civil War they have never disavowed this. The democtrats are using Confederate tactics of sedition and insurrection today. They belong in the dust bin of history.
Eric
f c king says
No surprise regarding obama’s “team” hindering national security matters. They’ve been working hard to undo our security and the spread of Radical Islam. The religion of peace party isover.
Ver Auger says
The CIA and NSA are only as good as their agents and officers. Is it possible that the competent and loyal espionage experts were slowly purged over the past 8 years and replaced with political partisans? I don’t know how else to explain the flagrant errors made in the compilation of Mr. Trump’s trip to Russia and the undocumented allegations of sordid behavior there, which turned out to be false.. How could our premier intelligence-gathering organizations blunder so badly?
Oliver says
The Limey who did the ‘work”- supposedly an ex limey “intelligence” office who worked for years in Moscow, was paid for it by the Dems.
Warren Raymond says
So ChuckySchmucky Schumer is in on it too, corrupt as…. and they would like Brennan to remain, to keep the Islamo-pandering continuing, like the fox guarding the chicken coop while the Mohammedans get everything they want. No one is allowed to mention ‘Islam’ & ‘jihad’ in one sentence, and no one must learn anything about Islamic warfare against disbelievers, etc etc…. yes, something strange is going on. Lets call it treason. High treason.
Trump better get on top of it before they destroy him.
duh swami says
They better get things done fast, befor3e Madonna blows up the White House…
Carolyne says
The Constitution guarantees free speech, but draws the line at advocating the overthrow of the government by force. I believe Madonna should be arrested for threatening the President. She threatened to “Blow up” the White House. Who the hell does she think she is? She’s ugly, could never sing, and has the IQ of a cement block, not to mention the morals of a mink.
Oliver says
Why insult cement blocks and minks? Cement blocks serve useful purposes, and minks make nice jackets and coats.
Lorensacho says
Democratic The objection to Pompeo is that he has gone back on his pledge to oppose waterboarding and other forms of torture.
Oliver says
Better waterboarding 10,000 Muslim terrorists then 3,000 dead Americans. Hell, better then ONE GOOD AMERICAN DEAD because of terrorists.
bobm says
Would be nice to see them in cages in groups of 10.. Egypt style.. for treason..
Oliver says
NY, Vermont & Oregon (as i recall) did not vote for Trump.
Why not cut off their federal money for two years?
I think Shumer goes up for re-election in 2018-that would hurt him; don’t know when the other two go up for re-election.
Oregon has been hurting since the econ terrorists put much of their (Oregon’s) forests out of reach due to the spotted owl- WHICH IS A DYING BREED, ANYHOW- as the females are mating with owls of a different breed.
I read a year or so ago that over 1,000 towns and villages disappeared because of that.
So why do the assholes, I mean citizens keep re-electing Dems?
The Senators ( and the 70 or so Congressmen who did not go to the inauguration ) should be reminded:
there are 3,144 counties (including parishes-Louisiana) ; Trump WON 3,084–98%. Take out 6 counties in NYC and the LA Cal area- ( both areas with large illegal alien populations) and Trump would have had the popular vote.