thecoldeye • an hour ago • edited
I have a working theory. Dems are dirty in Romania, and Trump wants somebody more official than Rudy to be there working for his interests.
I could easily be wrong. What is discussed below could just be coincidence.
Today, I was NOT surprised to see McConnell file cloture on two Circuit Judges, but then he did something I consider odd. He filed cloture on Trump's nominee to be Ambassador to Romania. The nominee is one of Trump's trusted golfing buddies, Adrian Zuckerman. Zuckerman is a big dog real estate attorney in the NYC area.
First, while cloture or real floor votes are needed on some Ambassador slots, most positions like this are voice vote. Romania is not China or the UN. Second, this is the last year of Trump's first administration, and the next election is uncertain. What NYC big dog wants to go to Romania for what could be a one year stay? Third, since December 2012, the position has been ably filled by career Foreign Service types - - either in an "acting" role or as a full blown Ambassador. It seems that Romania is a strange priority for the US Senate (and Mr. Zuckerman) at this time. What's going on?
This is where it gets a little interesting. BEFORE the career Foreign Service types took over in Dec. 2012, the Ambassador for Obama was a political friend named Mark Gitenstein. Lawyer Gitenstein worked as Chief Counsel to the Dems on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1989 under the tutelage of JOE BIDEN.
In the Dem Party, Mr. Gitenstein is a made man. As a trusted, made man, he worked on the Obama transition team and was slated for an important DOJ slot, but he was elbowed out for the sin of lobbying for the Chamber of Commerce. Ambassadorship was a consolation prize.
There have been rumors about Dems doing "deals" in Romania (including Biden). Maybe there is more than just rumor.
Q