Monday, January 30, 2017

Trump's changes at NSC are just "stone cold crazy" -- Susan Rice, Obama's National Security Adviser

President Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, said she is "appalled" at what President Donald Trump is doing to the National Security Council, sidelining foreign policy experts and instead giving his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, a place at the table.

Trump issued a presidential memo which removed the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from permanent seats on the NSC "principals committee."   In the future they will attend only when their "responsibilities and expertise" are needed.   In their place will be Bannon, whose last job was CEO of Breitbart News, a publication that regularly airs white nationalist views.

John Bolton, George W. Bush's ambassador to the U.N., said that Bush did not allow his political strategist, Karl Rove, to attend NSC meetings;  because he wanted to avoid any hint that politics played a role in national security decisions.   I agree with Rice:   It's just "stone cold crazy."  I fear that we are witnessing first steps in a strong-man takeover of our government.  

Ralph

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