Free Republic

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee split along party lines Monday to endorse Rex Tillerson as the country’s next secretary of state, setting up a confirmation vote in the full Senate that is all but guaranteed to succeed. Republicans unanimously backed Tillerson in the 11-to-10 vote, after key Republicans who had voiced criticism of Tillerson opted to support his nomination. Chief among them was Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a committee member who announced Monday morning that he would support Tillerson despite concerns about how Tillerson would approach Russia and other countries Rubio counts as human rights violators, resolving the final major...

After the slap down in his inaugural address against the elites and picking a fight with the intel community and the military industrial complex in State Dept, I'm not quite sure if Trump truly knows or perhaps he does know how entrenched those career people are. Different presidents come and go but these people are there seemly forever and do what they want to do and will go around a presidents viewpoint and disregard what the President wants. Reagan had problems with them in 1980s and I fear that they may do dastardly things against President Trump . I'm not...

A public high school chorus in Massachusetts wanting to sing during an Easter Sunday Mass at a basilica while on a school trip to Europe isn't going to get to do it because of church/state objections. Story is attached.

In his first public remarks as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state, former ExxonMobile chief executive Rex Tillerson will say he believes Russia is “a danger” and that NATO allies are right to be alarmed by its aggression. But he makes no mention of Moscow’s interference in the U.S. election campaign or the future of U.S. sanctions. “I come before you at a pivotal time in both the history of our nation and our world,” Tillerson will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday morning in an opening statement that lays out a realist and tough...

Tarak Andrew Underiner wanted Ohio college students to have the right to carry guns on campus so they could defend themselves in dangerous situations – say, leaving the library late at night and traveling home alone. Now he’s the first homicide of 2017 in Columbus. The Lantern reports that the Ohio State University campus-carry activist was “found dead from gunshot wounds” at a residence near campus when police responded to a shooting around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. The police report says investigators don’t think the shooting was “random in nature.” Underiner, the treasurer of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry, testified in November...

Speculation that John Bolton is being considered as Deputy Secretary of State is causing some consternation among Republican Senators. Senator Rand Paul has already publicly stated his opposition. And now, according to the New York Times Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Corker is also expressing misgivings. Behind the scenes, Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and Robert Gates (three Bush administration veterans) are reportedly lobbying Senators against his confirmation. Meanwhile, those same three bigwigs are publicly endorsing Trump’s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.So what’s their issue with John Bolton? He is, of course, a well known hawk. He’s consistently...

Donald Trump’s selection of ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as secretary of state threatens to touch off a confirmation fight, but the man in the running to be Tillerson’s deputy could spark an all-out war in the Senate. John Bolton, the mustache-sporting, Iraq War-cheering former United Nations ambassador, is possibly one of the least diplomatic diplomats ever to serve in the U.S. government. He has argued the U.S. should bomb Iran to stop its nuclear program, dismissed the idea of a Palestinian state and called the United Nations a "twilight zone." Trump has shown a contrarian streak in his appointments so...

Ever since the election John Bolton’s name has been kicked around for some position at the State Department. This would have been even more of a f***-y** than nominated Scott Pruitt to EPA. If you recall, Bolton was vigorously opposed when Bush nominated him to be UN Ambassador because he was accused of being mean to people. I am really not making that up. The Democrats filibustered him and Bush ended up giving him a recess appointment that eventually lapsed due to lack of GOP support in Congress and to losing the control of the Senate in 2006.He’s been rumored...

Headline of the Day Poll Is Rex Tillerson a good pick for Secretary of State? No, he is too close to Russia's Vladimir Putin Yes, he has tremendous experience in international trade

Donald Trump met with ExxonMobil's CEO Rex Tillerson for the second time this week amid reports that the longtime oil executive is the president-elect's top choice for U.S. secretary of State. Here are five things you should know about the businessman from Texas. (Photo: Reuters/Daniel Kramer/File Photo)ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson speaks during the IHS CERAWeek 2015 energy conference in Houston, Texas April 21, 2015.While Tillerson, who heads the petroleum giant which earned $16.1 billion last year, has no diplomatic experience, he has long been doing business with foreign governments. Trump met him Saturday morning, his second meeting in...

Former Republican presidential candidate and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has a strong opinion on John Bolton's candidacy to serve in Donald Trump's State Department. The former UN ambassador is being considered for the No. 2 spot in the agency, yet Paul argues that Bolton's endorsement of the Iraq War disqualifies him from working in the administration. “John Bolton doesn’t get it. He still believes in regime change. He’s still a big cheerleader for the Iraq War,” Paul said. “John Bolton is so far out of it and has such a naive understanding of the world.” Bolton should get "nowhere close" to the State...

McCain’s attitude doesn’t surprise me. He’s the Senate’s most ardent Russia hawk, he’s 80 years old, and he was just reelected. He’s got nothing to lose in standing up to Trump. Rubio’s attitude does surprise me a little. He’s hawkish and freshly reelected too, but he’s all of 45 years old and is surely planning another presidential run eventually. He backed off his apocalyptic criticism of Trump after the primaries this year, even before he’d decided to run for Senate again, seemingly fearing that any further anti-Trumpism on his part might jeopardize his national prospects down the line. Now...

Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Rex Tillerson has emerged as the leading candidate to become President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, according to two transition officials, marking the latest twist in a multiweek search for a top diplomat. Mr. Tillerson moved ahead of other candidates, including 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who have had multiple conversations with Mr. Trump about the job. Mr. Tillerson is viewed by some of Mr. Trump’s advisers as a mold-breaking pick who would bring an executive’s experience to the diplomatic role, said a person involved in the process. Messrs. Trump and Tillerson...

Donald Trump is expected to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, two sources close to the transition process told NBC News on Saturday. The 64-year-old veteran oil executive has no government or diplomatic experience, although he has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The pick would put to rest weeks-long speculation of who would earn the post as the U.S.'s top diplomat, and would place Tillerson fourth in line to the presidency.

Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson emerged on Friday as President-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate for U.S. secretary of state, a senior transition official said. Trump met Tillerson on Tuesday and may talk to him again over the weekend, the official said. Trump appears to be in the final days of deliberations over his top diplomat with an announcement possible next week. Tillerson's favored status was revealed as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani formally withdrew from consideration for secretary of state. The transition official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tillerson, 64, had moved ahead in...

Sources tell #morningjoe: ‘Wide open’ field for State candidates, Romney at the top of the list https://t.co/fuXVALiXo4— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) December 6, 2016 The field of candidates for secretary of State in Donald TrumpDonald TrumpTrump's Taiwan phone call distracts from real issues over China Dem urges Biden to run for DNC chair As Congress adjusts to Trump, Iran put under the pressure it deserves MORE's administration is "wide open," according "Morning Joe." ADVERTISEMENT Mitt Romney is at the top of the president-elect's list, sources familiar with Trump's thinking told the show.Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is fading...

Barack Obama’s first ambassador to Chy-nah is going to be Trump’s top diplomat, huh?If you’re inclined to believe that Trump’s interest in Romney has always been a ploy to humiliate him (which I don’t believe), leaking that Mitt might be passed over for Huntsman is all part of the game. Each from influential Utah families, the two have been rivals for years, starting with Huntsman endorsing McCain over Romney in 2008 and continuing through Romney’s victory over Huntsman in New Hampshire in 2012. The feud has reportedly turned even more bitter ever since. Trump vetoing Romney at State for...

President-elect Trump continues to drag out the process of selecting someone to nominate for Secretary of State. Whether it’s all part of an effort to humiliate Mitt Romney for his insubordination during the primary or just a difficult decision to make is anyone’s guess. Ambassador John Bolton is considered by many to be the best choice to head up and reform the State Department.Fox News’ Bret Baier reported that Ambassador Bolton met with Vice President-elect Mike Pence yesterday in Washington to discuss the Secretary of State job and will meet with Trump tomorrow at Trump Tower in New York. Fox...

EXCLUSIVE: Black Congressmen Refuse To Condemn Ellison’s Past Proposal For A ‘Black State’ Alex Pfeiffer WASHINGTON — Several Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus Tuesday refused to denounce Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison’s call for a black state. One congressman stated, “I don’t see anything really objectionable.” The Daily Caller News Foundation recently reported on columns Minnesota Rep. Ellison wrote under a pen name while in law school. In one of them he called for a black state in southeastern American states. Under the name Keith E. Hakim, Ellison wrote: “Finally, blacks would have the option of choosing their own...

pdate: courtesy of NBC's Tom Winter, we have the alleged Somali refugee suspect's name, which is Abdul Razak Ali Artan. NBC News: Suspect in Ohio State attack is Abdul Razak Ali Artan multiple law enforcement sources tell Pete Williams and @anblanx — Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) November 28, 2016