THE WAY BACK MACHINE IN EGYPT:
Posted on 03/14/2017 5:07:49 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
Former Obama administration official Anne Patterson raising concerns
Opposition is mounting on Capitol Hill and in conservative foreign policy circles over Defense Secretary James Mattis's efforts to hire a former Obama administration official who lobbied in favor of engagement with the Muslim Brotherhood and spearheaded efforts to criticize Israeli counter-terrorism efforts, according to multiple sources close to the Trump administration.
Mattis is lobbying to hire former diplomat Anne Patterson as undersecretary of defense for policy, according to multiple reports, a position that would make her the third most powerful voice at the Defense Department.
Multiple sources on Capitol Hill and those close to the Trump foreign policy teams are voicing concerns about the pick, warning that Patterson would seek to continue some of the former Obama administration's most controversial foreign policies, such as conducting outreach to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Patterson, who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt when the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, advocated in favor of negotiating with the terror group. Her efforts drew outrage in the Egyptian reformist community, which still views Patterson as working to legitimize the Muslim Brotherhood.
As assistant secretary of state for near east affairs in the Obama administration, Patterson also led efforts to criticize Israeli authorities after they killed a Palestinian-American terrorist who was attempting to stab civilians.
Patterson's record under the Obama administration has raised concerns on Capitol Hill, where she would require Senate confirmation in order to assume the Defense Department post.
Multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the matter expressed opposition to the pick and outlined larger concerns about efforts by Mattis to hire former Obama administration officials who conservatives view as responsible for multiple failures in U.S. foreign policy.
These sources also expressed concern about the Trump administration's failure to remove former Obama officials from the administration, citing the efforts by some to kneecap President Donald Trump's foreign policy team and preserve Obama-era policies.
"This would be a disastrous choice," one senior congressional aide tracking the matter told the Free Beacon. "Patterson has a well-documented track record of sticking up for extremist groups at every turn. Her selection would mean elevating someone whose views not only run counter to the president's, but U.S. national security as well. The administration should seriously reconsider."
A second senior Republican Senate aide expressed similar concerns. Patterson's views run counter to the foreign policy outlook expressed by Trump on the campaign trail, the source noted.
There is mounting concern over the promotion of Patterson to such a senior role, according to the source, who said this would "would send the wrong message given her background in Egypt, in particular her sympathies to the Muslim Brotherhood."
Insiders close to Trump's national security team described mounting concern over Mattis's efforts to hire Patterson.
"People concerned about the U.S.-Egypt relationship don't know what to make of Mattis's support for Anne Patterson," said one source, who explained that Patterson's record on Egypt is vastly different that Mattis' own comments about recalibrating relations with the country.
"Egyptians I have spoken to, both in and outside government, are extremely worried right now," the source added. "First, they can't believe they might have to contend with Patterson's pro-Brotherhood polices; and second, it's causing them to re-evaluate who they thought Secretary Mattis is."
As the Trump administration looks to reset years of strained relations with Cairo, the selection of Patterson could draw outrage from secular leaders who are still angered by her engagement with the Muslim Brotherhood, sources explained.
One Egyptian opposition leader who spoke to the Free Beacon during the 2013 revolution in Egypt described Patterson as "the first enemy of the revolution," claiming "she is hated even more than [former Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed] Morsi."
Patterson met in 2012 with Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie, who has been extremely critical of the United States.
Patterson still has strained relations with current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Reports in Middle Eastern publications indicated that Patterson pressured al-Sisi to release imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood members and later threatened him when he refused to do so.
Sources also raised questions about Patterson's commitment to Trump's foreign policy, which seeks to isolate fanatical religious organizations such as the Brotherhood and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.
Patterson cast doubt during a 2015 Senate hearing on efforts to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group, efforts that are likely to be revisited by Trump's team.
One senior Republican foreign policy adviser who has close ties to the White House told the Free Beacon that Patterson would represent a continuation of the Obama administration's failed engagement in the Middle East.
"Anne Patterson is the embodiment of the Obama administration's failed approach to the Middle East, which focused on crowding out our traditional Arab allies with radical Islamists from Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood," said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the administration.
"As the post-Kerry State Department becomes less and less relevant, and the White House and Defense Department take over foreign policy strategy, it's beyond irresponsible to put her in charge of the Pentagon's policy apparatus," the source said.
If you and they were as active in doing something positive instead of trying to sow dissent on our side, like maybe
we could do great things.
As it is, there are so many "purists" that will jump the shark at every opportunity that Trump will have an even steeper uphill battle.
Thankfully, he's much more the adult man than all the concern trolls.
No wonder the Dems keep managing to thwart us - we actively help them and call the act "principled"....
You don’t havee a clue who Anne Patterson is.
and call me in the morning.
You think installing a Soros stooge who was a major player in the Obama administration’s attempt to hand the Egyptian goverrnment over to the muslim brotherhood is “good” ?
THE WAY BACK MACHINE IN EGYPT:
Mad Dog Mattis ... Have a plan to kill everyone ... blah, blah, blah ....
I think that Trump is in control and his appointees, and the folks they nominate/appoint, will not be allowed to work counter to his agenda if that's what they try to do. I understand who and what the gal is/was and I also understand that she has a lot of inside dope on how the Obama Admin did things - getting that info from her may be much easier with her "part of the new Admin" and she can be dealt with if she rebels. None of us know the dynamics, or even the "rest of the story" at this time so I don't know, any more than you do, whether or not it is a 'good" thing.
I do know that to
is a good thing.
Maybe Trump should remove Mattis. He is showing complete disregard for proper vetting...maybe he is pro Muslim Brotherhood and anti Israel and we just don’t know it. Maybe he is very liberal and we don’t know it. Maybe Annie is using feminine wiles...she would if she is pro Islam.
Please Mr President Trump, intercede in this. Don’t let an Obama lingerer and pro Islam into Mr. Mattis’ office.
Big mistake.
by Raymond Ibrahim July 17, 2013
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3855/us-ambassador-egypt
Why do millions of Egyptians, including politicians and activists, consider Anne Patterson, the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, a "stooge" for the Muslim Brotherhood -- as she is so commonly referred to by many in Egypt, from the media down to the street?
If one follows the Egyptian media, one discovers that the reasons Egyptians dislike Patterson are many and unambiguous.
Last week, for example, El Fagr reported that, during their most recent phone conversation, Patterson demanded that Egypt's recently appointed Supreme Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces, General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, release all Muslim Brotherhood members currently being held for questioning: "And when Sisi rejected this order, the American ambassador began threatening him that Egypt will turn into another Syria and live through a civil war, to which Sisi responded violently: 'Neither you nor your country can overcome Egypt and its people.'"
Earlier, Patterson was reported as "trying to communicate with General Sisi, demanding dialogue with the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, and concessions to them," to which Sisi reportedly retorted: "Stop meddling in our affairs… the Egyptian people are capable of looking after their own welfare."
These are just the latest samplings from Egypt concerning the ambassador's attempts to reinstate the Brotherhood to power. The day before the fundamentalist Salafi "Nour" party withdrew from negotiations with Egypt's interim government, Al Nahar reported that Patterson had "incited them [the Salafi Nour Party] to tamper with the political scene and the road map and to threaten to withdraw from political participation if Dr. Muhammad Baradei becomes elected as Prime Minister…"
There is also widespread belief that Patterson's "meddling" in Egypt's affairs is not limited to General Sisi and the Egyptian media. Several of Egypt's revolutionary forces, including Tamarod, which played a pivotal role in the June 2013 revolution, are preparing to stage a protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Cairo "calling for the ejection of ambassador Anne Patterson."
Even Muhammad Heikal -- "the Arab world's most respected political commentator" and for over 50 years an Egyptian political insider -- said during a live interview that Patterson had assured the Muslim Brotherhood's Hisham Qandil, who under Morsi was Egypt's Prime Minister, that "there are many forms of pressure, and America holds the keys to the Gulf."
Such blatantly pro-Muslim Brotherhood actions are what have led most Egyptians, including politicians and activists, to see Patterson as the Brotherhood's lackey.
In fact, one Egyptian politician, Mustafa Bakari, concluded that "in my opinion, she [Patterson] is a member of the sleeper cells of the Brotherhood, likely recruited by Essam al-Erian or Muhammad al-Baltagi."
Then of course, it is widely known that in the days leading to the June 30 Revolution, Patterson called on Egyptians not to protest -- including by meeting with the Coptic Pope and asking him specifically to urge the nation's Christian minority not to oppose the Brotherhood, even though Christians were naturally the most to suffer under Morsi, especially in the context of accusations of "blasphemy," and are the most to suffer now, in retaliation to the Brotherhood's toppling.
These reasons and more demonstrate why Anne Patterson, the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, is a disliked figure in Egypt. More importantly, they also demonstrate the pro-Muslim Brotherhood policies of the current U.S. administration.
I thought Mattis was a logical thinker. I am wrong if he thinks there is a difference between political Islam v religious Islam.
Send him the Quo’ran. Give him a test over the whole book. He will fail and then he needs to be gone.
Looking at that list = dismay. What a sorry collection .
Senate Armed Services committee is headed by John McCain—who worked hand in hand with Anne Patterson to hand Egypt over to the muslim brotherhood.
McCain complained bitterly when the Egyptians booted the muslim brotherhood out andd arrested them.
John McCain (R - AZ)
Chairman
Inhofe, James (R - OK)
Wicker, Roger F. (R - MS)
Fischer, Deb (R - NE)
Cotton, Tom (R - AR)
Rounds, Mike (R - SD)
Ernst, Joni (R - IA)
Tillis, Thom (R - NC)
Sullivan, Dan (R - AK)
Perdue, David (R - GA)
Cruz, Ted (R - TX)
Graham, Lindsey (R - SC)
Sasse, Ben (R - NE)
Strange, Luther (R - AL)
Jack Reed (D - RI)
Ranking Member
Minority
Nelson, Bill (D - FL)
McCaskill, Claire (D - MO)
Shaheen, Jeanne (D - NH)
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (D - NY)
Blumenthal, Richard (D - CT)
Donnelly, Joe (D - IN)
Hirono, Mazie K. (D - HI)
Kaine, Tim (D - VA)
King, Angus (I - ME)
Heinrich, Martin (D - NM)
Warren, Elizabeth (D - MA)
Peters, Gary C. (D - MI)
Anne W. Patterson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
March 3, 2017 By Brendan Morrow
http://heavy.com/news/2017/03/anne-patterson-donald-trump-under-secretary-of-defense-ambassador-to-egypt-el-salvador-colombia-pakistan-background-mohamed-morsi-husband-david-white-house/
Anne Patterson may become the next United States under secretary of defense for policy.
Politico is reporting this week that Patterson is James Mattis’ choice for the position but that he is facing opposition from the White House. The Trump administration has still not nominated anyone to serve as under secretary of defense; the current under secretary of defense for policy is Theresa Whelan, who is only fulfilling the duties of this position until the Trump administration names a permanent replacement.
Here’s what you need to know about Anne Patterson and why the White House may be opposing her nomination.
1. From 2011 through 2013, Anne Patterson served as the United States’ ambassador to Egypt. She was appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2011 and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in June.
During her time as ambassador to Egypt, Patterson was criticized for being too close to Mohamed Morsi, the president of Egypt who was ultimately removed from office in a coup.
According to The New York Times, Patterson was invited in June 2013 to speak in Cairo about U.S. relations with Egypt; this was in the middle of the demonstrations against Mohamed Morsi, and during her speech, she said that she was “deeply skeptical” that “street action will produce better results than elections.”
When Egyptians took to the streets that summer protesting Morsi, many of them held up banners with Patterson’s face on them crossed out with a red X.
2. She Has Also Served as the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador & Colombia
Patterson had a long career in public service before she was named the United States’ ambassador to Egypt. She started working in the State Department in 1984, first as an economic officer and then as a political counselor at the U.S.’ mission to the United Nations in Geneva. She was then the department’s director for the Andean Countries, and finally the deputy assistant secretary for Inter-American affairs.
In 1997, Patterson became the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador under President Bill Clinton. She served in that position for three years, at which point she became the U.S. ambassador to Colombia under President George W. Bush.
Patterson also in 2004 served as acting representative to the United Nations after the resignation of John Danforth; she ended up holding the position for eight months until a permanent replacement, John Bolton, was named.
3. She Was the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan From 2007 to 2010
In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Patterson to be the United States ambassador to Pakistan. During Patterson’s time in this position, the U.S. government continued to pressure Pakistan to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In 2010, Wikileaks released a number of leaked cables that showed that Anne Paterson had some concerns about the United States government’s policy towards Pakistan, saying that it is counterproductive because it “risks destabilising the Pakistani state, alienating both the civilian government and the military leadership, and provoking a broader governance crisis without finally achieving the goal,” according to The Guardian.
Most recently, Anne Patterson served as assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs. She retired in January 2017.
4. She Is Married to David R. Patterson, a Retired Foreign Service Officer
Anne Patterson is married to David R. Patterson, a retired officer in the United States Foreign Service.
5. The White House is Reportedy Pushing Back Against Her Appointment
According to Politico, Anne W. Patterson is who Defense Secretary James Mattis wants to appoint as the new undersecretary of defense for policy, but White House officials are pushing back on this.
This is reportedly due to some of Patterson’s action as ambassador to Egypt, specifically the fact that she was skeptical towards the demonstrations against Egypt’s president, Mohamed Morsi.
“The biggest pushback [from the White House] is that she was ambassador to Egypt immediately before and after the Morsi presidency,” a source told Politico.
This comes a few weeks after the Trump administration decided not to appoint Elliott Abrams as the new deputy secretary of state, even though he was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s choice for the position.
She is intelligent. She is not reckless. Thinking it through, the actions of her ambassadorship in Egypt doesn't square with her previous work (Colombia, El Salvador); which by all accounts were hugely successful. It smacks of micro-management. I have serious doubts she formed the policy.
But she is a party person, a long-time Clinton ally. And I too, question why Mattis chose her. Unless........slick Mad Dog took the most accomplished democrat career diplomat out of circulation at State, and chained her next to him..........just a thought.
Ok we need to ask Mattis directly why she is his choice... in an age where we have been screwed by the support staff we need a clear understanding of his motivation. This does not seem to fit.
“Thinking it through, the actions of her ambassadorship in Egypt doesn’t square with her previous work “
Her actions re Egypt square with the fact that she he is an aggressive Soros stooge who worked rabidly to hand Egypt over to the muslim brotherhood.
Reminds me of Madeline Halfbright.
I read that the White house is against her. They have already turned down one cabinet recommendation they didnt like. I imagine she is sunk.
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