The New York Times is admitting something they previously pretended did not exist, Mitch McConnell is ready to fight Donald Trump.  You guys have watched this battle before, and you guys know that John Thune is the exact same ideological construct as his mentor, Mitch McConnell.  We do not need to pretend here.

Currently, as Senate Majority Leader, John Thune elevates to the intelligence “oversight” group known as the Gang of Eight.  Four members of the Gang of Eight (Go8) come out of the Senate, and four from the House.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, SSCI Vice-Chairman Mark Warner, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are three of the four from the Senate.  However, we still do not know who will join Thune from the GOP side. Who will be the Republican SSCI Chairman?

Internally, Susan Collins is now Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Mitch McConnell is now Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, a specifically taken position to retain control of Senate rules (think Cloture, Filibuster and importantly, Recess Appointments via Senate schedule).

With Thune on the Gang of Eight, Collins as Appropriations (spending), and McConnell in charge of ‘rules’, who joins Thune on the Gang of Eight?

The three most likely SSCI members who could be given the role are: Tom Cotton, James Lankford or John Cornyn.  My suspicion based on the DeceptiCon playbook, and his skeptical statements about Trump intelligence nominations, would be to watch out for Senator James Lankford.

Cornyn who challenged Thune for leadership, is not currently in any of the leadership roles.  Perhaps he will be given the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair; who knows.  Senator Cotton, a Sea Island participant, would be another stealth move.

We need to watch closely who John Thune (with McConnell directing) puts into the role of SSCI Chairman.  That’s part of the Intelligence Community weapon against the risk presented by a return of President Donald Trump.

NEW YORK TIMES – The last time President Donald J. Trump was in the White House, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who was then the majority leader, played a crucial role in empowering him and pushing through his agenda.

But Mr. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader, is stepping down from that post in January. This time he appears to be positioning himself to do the opposite, choosing to focus on issues that could put him at odds with Mr. Trump on policy and personnel at the dawn of his second term.

In recent days, including during a late-night session of votes on the Senate floor last week, Mr. McConnell, 82, has told colleagues that his impending exit from leadership has left him feeling “liberated.”

He has signaled skepticism about some of the president-elect’s most divisive picks for his administration, staying mum on their selections and saying last week that the withdrawal of former Representative Matt Gaetz from consideration as attorney general was “appropriate.” And Mr. McConnell has telegraphed that as he moves to cement his legacy in his remaining time in the Senate, he plans to prioritize two issues that just happen to be subjects on which he disagrees strongly with Mr. Trump.

Mr. McConnell, whose current term ends in 2027 and who has not said whether he will seek another, has said he plans to focus intently during the next two years on advancing his interventionist strain of foreign policy, which flies in the face of the president-elect’s “America First” approach. He also wants to concentrate on preserving the Senate’s institutional independence at a time when Mr. Trump, who will have a governing trifecta in January, has made clear that he means to bend the chamber to his will. (read more)

Watch who Thune and McConnell make the SSCI Chairman.