A sea change is coming to American foreign policy, and the adherents of the old, multiply failed policies of appeasement and willful ignorance that the Obama administration implemented energetically are desperate to retain power. Accordingly, they’ve launched yet another smear campaign against a Trump appointee who doesn’t represent the swamp point of view: the abundantly qualified and clear-sighted Fred Fleitz, John Bolton’s new chief of staff.
The campaign consists of the usual half-truths, smears, ad hominem attacks and outright lies. Well, all this has always worked before.
“Obama Allies Scheme to Kneecap Trump’s New National Security Team,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, May 31, 2018:
Organizations and individuals entrenched in the Obama administration’s pro-Iran echo chamber are engaging in a new plot to defame top White House national security officials, a campaign that mirrors a successful effort by these same groups to oust former Trump administration National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to sources familiar with the new effort.
After targeting Flynn, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former senior Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka, organizations closely tied to the Obama administration are setting their sites on National Security Adviser John Bolton and his newly formed team.
Recent attacks by groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC, have centered on Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst who was recently tapped by Bolton to serve as his chief of staff on the White House National Security Council.
Activists from CAIR, the SPLC, and the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL—a civil rights organization currently helmed by a former Obama administration official—are engaged in a coordinated campaign to smear Fleitz and force his ouster from the NSC. The smears have been picked up by sympathetic media outlets who worked closely with these groups while the Obama administration’s so-called “echo chamber” was running at full steam, sources said.
Former senior Obama administration officials such as Ben Rhodes—architect of the pro-Iran echo-chamber that misled Congress and the American public about the nature of the landmark nuclear deal—have amplified these attacks on social media platforms such as Twitter.
Senior Trump administration officials familiar with the situation called the attacks baseless and blamed organizations such as the SPLC for waging a smear campaign out of revenge for Fleitz’s past criticisms of the group, which has been known to attack prominent conservative thought leaders and label them bigots.
“Most of the attacks on Fleitz originated from the far left Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that over the last few years raised money by putting out press releases falsely lumping conservative Americans with neo-Nazis and white supremacists,” said one senior administration official who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon on background about the attacks on Fleitz.
“The media must call this attack on Fred Fleitz for what it is a—deliberate smear campaign from the left against the Trump administration,” the official said, referencing a slew of recent media reports repeating accusations by the SPLC, ADL, CAIR, and other liberal activists groups.
Media attacks on Fleitz sponsored by these organizations have focused on his past work with the Center for Security Policy, a conservative national security think-tank helmed by Frank Gaffney, a former Reagan administration official.
CAIR, for instance, has been emailing reporters accusing Fleitz of being an “anti-Muslim hate group leader.” The ADL charged in a recent press release that Fleitz should be fired from his new post in the NSC for his work with Gaffney’s Center, which the ADL labeled “an Islamophobic, conspiracy-promoting organization.”
Multiple sources from across the political world, including within and outside the Trump administration, dismissed these claims against Fleitz as baseless and accused the organizations disseminating the attacks of continuing efforts by members of the Obama administration echo chamber to kneecap Trump’s national security team.
These sources said that Fleitz’s fierce opposition to the nuclear agreement with Iran and efforts to counter it riled these activist leaders, many of whom vocally worked with the Obama administration to promote the deal.
“All the people attacking Fred Fleitz’s so vehemently are one of two groups: front organizations and sundry useful idiots that have a vested interest in supporting the murderous mullah of Iran,” Sebastian Gorka, a former strategist and assistant to President Trump, told the Free Beacon.
“The others are the architects of Obama’s disastrous policy of ‘Leading from Behind’ and the 44th president’s American apology tour, which led to a more aggressive Iran, Russia, North Korea, and China,” said Gorka, who was subjected to similar attacks by these organizations during his time in the White House.
“In either instance, they prove by their actions just how superb a choice John Bolton made by bringing in a true patriot and national security professional like Fred Fleitz,” Gorka said.
Administration insiders and other sources intimately familiar with Fleitz’s past work dismissed claims that he is Islamaphobic as ridiculous. Fleitz remains an ardent critic of radical Islam, but has gone to great lengths in the past to defend the religion’s peaceful believers.
Charges that Fleitz believes Muslims are trying to take over the U.S. government also are bunk, these sources said, referring to them as just another attempt by onetime Obama officials to derail Trump’s national security agenda.
“The smear campaign against Fred Fleitz is typical of the Obama White House echo chamber,” said Christopher Hull, a former congressional chief of staff who now serves as the Center For Security Policy’s executive vice president. “It includes ad hominem attacks, distortions, and guilt by association. ”
“Fleitz’s critics’ objective, of course, is to maintain Obama’s treasonously weak policies toward America’s enemies, foreign and domestic,” Hull said. “It is no coincidence that among Fleitz’s critics are those in the cross-hairs of any reasonably robust effort to keep America secure.”
The SPLC has taken the lead on these attacks, a point emphasized by administration officials and others who claim the group is seeking revenge for Fleitz’s past criticisms of its efforts to smear conservatives….
Krishna says
America is not politically correct like Britain American government has started to become aware of global jihad threat
Andy says
March for Tommy Robinson Tomorrow in DC in the good ole’ U.S of A!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjcgyf4tfJY
SHUALI says
Excellent comment!
NPR should be defunded.
Ren says
“Hamas-linked CAIR, SPLC, ADL launch smear campaign against Bolton’s new chief of staff”
No use. Bolton is in the office now.
zoniek says
Just wait for Nov. when the demoncraps will be trashed at the polls in a referendum on Trump’s policies.
gravenimage says
Hamas-linked CAIR, SPLC, ADL launch smear campaign against Bolton’s new chief of staff
………………..
This should surprise no one…
Elizabeth Lawson says
One quick question. Why are all these enemies of the state permitted to function with such impunity? Why have they not been returned to the designation Terrorist entity? Obama delisted them from this designation. Several Arab countries – wise people, have them so listed. Let’s get on with the job. – OR, deport their treasonous rears back to garbage land where they came from.
Granddaddy says
Agreed. 100%.
Brian hoff says
They are constitution protect . Frank Gaffney is than far rightwing nut job anyway any body who for him is unfit to hold than government job.
Keys says
Brian Hoff –
What talk you make about anyway for anybody.
Protect right wing nut by constitution.
Sense for comment make now.
somehistory says
The reason they don’t like him and are trying to smear him out: he know what islam is all about.
He is not fooled by the lies they tell and the propaganda published by them and their henchmen.
Westman says
Nations are held together by their shared past history whether real or myth. Organizations like CAIR and the SPLC are wallowing in the missteps of the past; an attempt to create an equality of outcome which, even when forced by the power of the state, has always failed while creating more inequalities.
There is only one solution for Islam to be respected in the US: Building a history of integration with, and respect for, the US. Nothing less will work. Just a few men committing crimes in the name of Allah, Muhammad, or, “death to America” will be sufficient to keep Islam under a continual cloud of suspicion.
CAIR and the SPLC are wasting their time in smearing those wary of Islam. Only the experience of a peaceful history and integration FROM US Muslims will bring respect.
Joe says
But, if they integrate, they are no longer following Islam which commands them to hate everyone else. These commands are not one or a few passages but a consistent theme in the Koran.
Brian hoff says
What a racost remark from than Islamoprobic person like you.
KJW says
The stated goal of the Muslim Brorherhood is for Islam to dominate the world just as their prophet said. They tried it in Egypt, in the past I recall how they wanted to force women to wear the hijab in Palestine, and.President Abbas even said in an interview he didn’t like them and they are “an Islamist movement.” We know what they want and pussyfooting around that is bs. Of course they have tried (and have succeeded to a large extent) infiltrating everything in many countries.
I notice CAIR uses “anti-Muslim” more, I guess to personalize it rather than, as they know, it’s the ideology of Islam. Nice try. If our politicians could and would stand up to the oil countries, it would be easier. It is ridiculous to bend over for a country that neither gives the same rights to foreigners no less insures their safety.
CAIR is an enemy within, plain and simple. They need to stay away from our schools with their twisted logic, negation of history, and their hateful tirade of a book and intolerance taught in Islamic schools around the world, including Gaza.
Richard McKenzie says
John Bolton is the best choice for America’s foreign policy because of his comprehension of Islam. Too bad our past Muslim president, Hussein Obama, was allowed to sabotage our culture. I pray We the People will stay vigilant and not allow Islam access to our culture. If we do then we shall surely perish.
Brian hoff says
We are building than islamist school building on the mosque ground so we would have more room in our mosque to expanse the man prayer room and more the woman prayer room upstair where the school was. We add alots of new members since 2001.
Indiana Tom says
Red-Green Axis in a beautiful showcase for this event.
Carl Goldberg, PhD says
Does Fleitz really get it about Islam, or doesn’t he? This statement raises doubts: “Administration insiders and other sources intimately familiar with Fleitz’s past work dismissed claims that he is Islamaphobic as ridiculous. Fleitz remains an ardent critic of radical Islam, but has gone to great lengths in the past to defend the religion’s peaceful believers.: First, the statement seems to accept the legitimacy of the term “Islamophobic”, as if the one being accused of Islamophobia really has to defend himself against such criticism. It is our enemies who use that term in order to smear critics of Islam. Second, it says that Fleitz remains an ardent critic of “RADICAL ISLAM”, as if “radical Islam” is somehow different from “Islam”. Is “radical Islam” based on a “radical Koran”? Is there such a thing as a “non-radical Islam”? Turkish president Erdogan says that there is no such thing as moderate or immoderate Islam, that Islam is Islam and that’s it. For Erdogan, Islam does not come in radical or non-radical versions. Does Fleitz understand this?