The Egyptian people knew what Anne Patterson was all about. She figured prominently on the signs that protesters against the Muslim Brotherhood regime carried as they ousted the Brotherhood regime in 2013. Free Egyptians roundly criticized her and Obama for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood oppressors. That Mattis would want to hire at all is a bad sign, and an indication that the Secretary of Defense is clueless about an area he should know all about.
“Opposition Builds Against Mattis Pick Who Met With Muslim Brotherhood,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, March 13, 2017:
Opposition is mounting on Capitol Hill and in conservative foreign policy circles over Defense Secretary James Mattis’s efforts to hire a former Obama administration official who lobbied in favor of engagement with the Muslim Brotherhood and spearheaded efforts to criticize Israeli counter-terrorism efforts, according to multiple sources close to the Trump administration.
Mattis is lobbying to hire former diplomat Anne Patterson as undersecretary of defense for policy, according to multiple reports, a position that would make her the third most powerful voice at the Defense Department.
Multiple sources on Capitol Hill and those close to the Trump foreign policy teams are voicing concerns about the pick, warning that Patterson would seek to continue some of the former Obama administration’s most controversial foreign policies, such as conducting outreach to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Patterson, who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt when the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, advocated in favor of negotiating with the terror group. Her efforts drew outrage in the Egyptian reformist community, which still views Patterson as working to legitimize the Muslim Brotherhood.
As assistant secretary of state for near east affairs in the Obama administration, Patterson also led efforts to criticize Israeli authorities after they killed a Palestinian-American terrorist who was attempting to stab civilians.
Patterson’s record under the Obama administration has raised concerns on Capitol Hill, where she would require Senate confirmation in order to assume the Defense Department post.
Multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the matter expressed opposition to the pick and outlined larger concerns about efforts by Mattis to hire former Obama administration officials who conservatives view as responsible for multiple failures in U.S. foreign policy.
These sources also expressed concern about the Trump administration’s failure to remove former Obama officials from the administration, citing the efforts by some to kneecap President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team and preserve Obama-era policies.
“This would be a disastrous choice,” one senior congressional aide tracking the matter told the Free Beacon. “Patterson has a well-documented track record of sticking up for extremist groups at every turn. Her selection would mean elevating someone whose views not only run counter to the president’s, but U.S. national security as well. The administration should seriously reconsider.”
A second senior Republican Senate aide expressed similar concerns. Patterson’s views run counter to the foreign policy outlook expressed by Trump on the campaign trail, the source noted.
There is mounting concern over the promotion of Patterson to such a senior role, according to the source, who said this would “would send the wrong message given her background in Egypt, in particular her sympathies to the Muslim Brotherhood.”…
One senior Republican foreign policy adviser who has close ties to the White House told the Free Beacon that Patterson would represent a continuation of the Obama administration’s failed engagement in the Middle East.
“Anne Patterson is the embodiment of the Obama administration’s failed approach to the Middle East, which focused on crowding out our traditional Arab allies with radical Islamists from Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood,” said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the administration.
“As the post-Kerry State Department becomes less and less relevant, and the White House and Defense Department take over foreign policy strategy, it’s beyond irresponsible to put her in charge of the Pentagon’s policy apparatus,” the source said.

Michael says
A cause for great concern if Trump, via Mattis, has someone in his administration who is clearly pro-Islam. Islamists are not to be negotiated with, only defeated.
Custos Custodum says
So now we know two things, neither very surprising:
(1) Mattis is heterosexual.
(2) Mattis and Patterson each now have a brown envelope containing $50,000 in crisp new Euro bills stashed at the bottom of their desk drawer, with a hand-written thank-you note from their mutual friend George. The thank-you note on George’s embossed personal stationery is marked “CONFIDENTIAL”
Custos Custodum says
On the plus side, Anne Patterson came within reach of greatness when she briefly studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Robert Spencer’s alma mater.
A 2006 vehicle jihad attack at UNC was an earlier harbinger of a series of such attacks on insipid infidels.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2006/03/jihad-attack-at-unc-chapel-hill
ElderlyZionist says
“Anne Patterson is the embodiment of the Obama administration’s failed approach to the Middle East…”
A-yep. Completely sold out to the Muslim Brotherhood and the King of Saudi Arabia. A very bad choice.
Stan Lee says
The General announced early on that it would be “his way or the high-way” He may be one helluva warrior, but in his case now he has a partially political mission and must be able to define the differences between warrior and appointee to a political cabinet. If Anne Patterson could work for and satisfy the Obama policy for Egypt, she is the wrong appointee and General Mattis should have more precisely investigated her mission, how it was executed, and its results.
Even if she could justify the Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian President General Al-Sisi needed a U.S. diplomat attached to Cairo who like Al-Sisi is anti-Muslim Brotherhood. That didn’t happen and since she was Obama’s choice and Egyptians came to hate Obama and therefore his choice of diplomat to Cairo,
Now, enters General Mattis, who may not understand the mission Patterson had and who she came to support…the Muslim Brotherhood. General Mattis should know that choice would not work.
Egypt must trust President Trump and his emisaries, they will be the U.S. President’s extension to Gen. Al-Sisi. Pete Bondurant (above comment) suggested Col. Allan West and I call that a darned good choice. Gen. Mattis does not seem the type to discuss selection of his underlings with the President and his advisors, someone knowing the background of Patterson. Obviously, Mattis didn’t know either, or didn’t think her liaison with the Muslim Brotherhood was a detriment to U.S. Policy-Egypt. I think it is a detriment which could lead to Gen. Mattis’ resignation in the long run.
Custos Custodum says
President Trump – who attended a military academy in his youth, apparently to good effect – must be weaned of his romantic belief in “non-nonsense military people” stat.
Military officers at flag officer level must long ago have learned to be even more craven political operators than their civilian counterparts.
Daniel Triplett says
So true.
We simply don’t have anymore MacArthur or Patton-type non-PC Generals/Admirals, regardless how tough a nickname “Mad Dog” sounds, or as much as DJT would like to believe.
Our President, I’m afraid, was snowed by Mattis, just as he was by McMaster.
Terry says
Egypt IS NOW GETTING CLOSE TO HAMAS. (Israeli mpress-last few days).
SO EGYPT AND AL-SISI MIGHT BE GOING THE EXTREMIST ROUTE.
How about, we cut off ALL MONEY (AID) TO EGYPT? USE IT FOR THE WALL AND INFRASTRUCTURE -HERE.
let the Saudis continue to fund Egypt.
Wellington says
This is what can be expected when you have guts (e.g., Mattis) and great street smarts (e.g., Trump) but not enough knowledge. Neither Mattis nor Trump, both of whom have many qualities, have enough pure knowledge where Islam is concerned.
Damn shame. Still working uphill.
Steve Klein says
I suppose we could cut a businessman (who has been deeply absorbed in business matters) a little slack for not getting up to speed on the religion of Islam some fifteen years out from the 9/11/2001 attacks. (Yet others managed to get a basic grasp of the fundamentals of the religion.) Nonetheless, the president’s instincts seem to be in tact. Shouldn’t we expect better from a professional soldier of this General’s stature and erudition?
Relic says
Guest says
Do you hear that? That is the sound of people finally learning
mortimer says
President Trump should hire ROBERT SPENCER immediately to explain the JIHAD DOCTRINE, TAQIYYA DOCTRINE and KAFIR DOCTRINE to the entire US civil service, especially those in foreign affairs, intelligence and law enforcement.
Eric Jones says
Hear hear.
Eric
Custos Custodum says
U.S. administration staff know all about taqiyya (lying in the service of The Mission). They have been practicing it for decades.
Watch a few episodes of the British sitcom “Yes Minister” for an entertaining refresher on government practices on both sides of the Atlantic.
Jeanette says
And apparently, the military.
Eric Jones says
Trump has got to understand that he is no longer in the business world where employees are going to do good faith work and follow the new boss so that they can keep their jobs.
Political appointees are using state power to acheive particular objectives. Trump deserves to only have people in his administrastiion that share his views. Keeping Obamanots, Clintinoids and Bushiets around is self destruction. They are not and will never share his views. Trump must drain the swamp of prior admin. holdovers.
Trump must make it clear to his cabinet secretaries that they must follow his direction. They should not have a free had in running their departments the way they want. Trump can start by firing the 100 in the State Dept. that signed the dissent memo. He should bring NSA under control. Even Carter fired wayward CIA people. The Defense Dept should not be a sacred cow. Drain the swamp.
Eric
TH says
I saw a video of Matis and it was clear that he doesn’t really know much about Islam.
Angemon says
Mattis’s judgement should be placed in question.
Custos Custodum says
Mattis’s judgment is beyond question. He is simply corrupt, and already working to please patrons other than President Trump.
pennant8 says
The Muslim Brotherhood is the reason why so many of these Pentagon stiffs don’t know anything about the Muslim Brotherhood. They allowed MB termites into the inner sanctums of the DoD and bought into the all the taqiyya they have been slinging. And the scary thing is they don’t even know they have been had, conned by world class grifters.
BTW, count me in as an Allen West fan, please somebody get him into the Trump administration.
Steve Klein says
There were warning signs:
‘Trump’s likely Defense Secretary pick raises eyebrows in Israel’
General Mattis, Trump’s likely pick for Pentagon chief, warns ‘Israeli settlements’ are turning country into an ‘Apartheid’ state.
Contact Editor David Rosenberg, 20/11/16 18:55
‘….Speaking at a gathering of the Aspen Institute in 2013, Mattis gave his emphatic backing for Secretary of State John Kerry’s “valiant” efforts to reach a two-state solution, saying that the foundation of a Palestinian state was of paramount importance for not only Israel but the United States.
“So we’ve got to work on this with a sense of urgency,” Mattis said.
“And I paid a military-security price every day as a commander of CENTCOM, because the Americans are seen as biased in support of Israel, and that moderates all the moderate Arabs who want to be with us, because they can’t come out publicly in support of people who don’t show respect for the Arab Palestinians.”
In addition, Mattis slammed Israeli control of Judea and Samaria as “unsustainable”, warning that Jewish “settlements” were liable to turn Israel into an “Apartheid” state.
“The current situation is unsustainable. It’s got to be directly addressed. We don’t want to turn this over to our children.
“We have got to find a way to make the two-state solution that Democrat and Republican administrations have supported – we have go to get there. And the chances for it, as the King of Jordan has pointed out, are starting to ebb because the settlements and where they’re at are going to make it impossible to maintain the two-state option.
“For example, if I’m Jerusalem, and I put 500 Jewish settlers out here somewhere to the east and there’s 10,000 Arab settlers in here, if we draw the border to include them either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say that the Arabs don’t get to vote – Apartheid. And that didn’t work too well the last time I saw that practiced in a country.”
While the Trump transition team has yet to issue a formal statement on the choice of Defense Secretary, Trump tweeted on Sunday regarding his meeting with Mattis Saturday afternoon, praising him as a “true General’s General”….
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/220577
Rob says
Why in the H-E-double L does Mattis want to hire Anne Patterson? Does he (or Trump, for that matter) have any real idea of what the Muslim Brotherhood is?!!!!!!! Trying to reason with the Muslim Brotherhood is like trying to “de-radicalize” Muslim terrorists – an exercise in blind futility. These guys want to kill us – first, last and everything in between. I object to their agenda. End of dialogue.
Custos Custodum says
Mattis is already looking over President Trump’s shoulder to his real bosses in D.C. and Riyadh.
common sense says
Interesting that Trump is meeting with Sauddi’s today. I smell a rat!
bobm says
exactly… as McMaster smiles in back ground with Patterson and the pope eroo..
common sense says
Patterson, like a typically flawed leftard thinks that giving the bad guys what they want will pacify them. Mattis has been compromised and also appears willfully ignorant of the political and social aspects of jihad. An anorexic hope at best would be that they want a known mole which would be asking for disaster if she is confirmed for a position this high up in the chain. What an utter failure, DJT needs to address this up front and personal, get rid of her, don’t negotiate with terrorists or any of their apologists.
Mark A says
Anne Patterson should not have any place in a Trump Administration, much less a very senior post at the Pentagon.
The fact that General Mattis wants her is very disturbing. It’s even more disturbing that President Trump did not put an end to her selection from the outset.
bobm says
I think weez bein played by the dealer .. the trumpet..