Donald Trump has unsettled some people with the few appointments he’s made as president elect so far. Officially, he’s appointed RNC Chair Reince Priebus as chief of staff and Breitbart’s Steve Bannon as chief strategist. The latter selection has drawn much controversy since Breitbart caters to the alt-right crowd and adds an anti-Semitic flavor to the mix. Now, Trump has made a significant job offer — national security advisor — to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
This offer counts as the least surprising Trump selection yet, as Flynn already served as one of the real estate mogul’s advisors during the campaign season. Flynn is also well known for his view that the Islamic State is one of the greatest threats to mankind. This would be key to Trump’s mystery five-point plan for destroying ISIS (whatever it may be). And Flynn agrees with the idea of Trump’s proposed Muslim ban but admits it’s “not workable.” However, Flynn has tweeted that it’s “rational” to be scared of Muslims.
Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions… https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU
— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016
In next 24 hours, I dare Arab & Persian world "leaders" to step up to the plate and declare their Islamic ideology sick and must B healed.
— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) July 15, 2016
In addition, Flynn is a major fan of Russia, which he feels is “necessary” as a partner for U.S. interests. If Flynn accepts the position, he’ll hold significant influence over not only Trump (whose foreign policy expertise is scant) but also the Pentagon, CIA, and State Department. He’s a lot like Trump in his views but happens to hold over thirty years’ military experience.
The New York Times discusses why Flynn and Trump get along so well:
Mr. Trump and General Flynn both see themselves as brash outsiders who hustled their way to the big time. They both post on Twitter often about their own successes, and they have both at times crossed the line into outright Islamophobia.
They also both exhibit a loose relationship with facts: General Flynn, for instance, has said that Shariah, or Islamic law, is spreading in the United States (it is not). His dubious assertions are so common that when he ran the Defense Intelligence Agency, subordinates came up with a name for the phenomenon: They called them “Flynn facts.”
As an adviser, General Flynn has already proved to be a powerful influence on Mr. Trump, convincing the president-elect that the United States is in a “world war” with Islamist militants and must work with any willing allies in the fight, including President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Flynn’s possible appointment makes sense from a Trump-based viewpoint, but his presence may make some Americans uneasy. Not too long ago, he dined with Vladimir Putin and appeared on the Russia Today network, which he likened to CNN, but it’s actually widely viewed as a propaganda outlet.
Well, this sounds like a match made in gold-makeover White House heaven.
(Via New York Times & Washington Post)