Posted on 11/10/2020 9:43:20 PM PST by rintintin
Top Senate Republicans are signaling support for keeping Director Gina Haspel atop the CIA amid speculation that President Trump could fire her out of frustration about some of her decisions related to the Russia investigation.
Speculation about Haspel's future has reached a fever pitch amid concerns in Washington that the ousting of Defense Secretary Mark Esper could foretell a larger post-election shakeup.
But top GOP senators are signaling that they don't think there's a reason for Trump to fire Haspel, outside of his own personal preference.
"Not that I'm aware of, other than you know the president would want somebody else. ... If I'm asked my opinion, I think she's done a great job," said Senate Intelligence Committee acting Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) when asked if he thought there was a reason to fire her.
Rubio, who caveated that the decision was ultimately up to Trump, added that "she's done a very good job" and that it would be good for the "stability of the agency" for her to remain.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and an adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), indicated that he did not think Haspel should be fired.
"I believe both of them are good public servants and done a good job for the country," Cornyn said when asked if Haspel and FBI Director Christopher Wray should stay in place.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Wray has done a good job for the country????
The cheering crowd (Rubio and Cornyn) is enough to sway my vote over to the other side.
If Trump wants Haspel gone then she’s gone, regardless of Senate support. And that’s the way it should be. A president has to have trust and faith in his appointees. When that’s gone then there is no reason for a person to remain in their position, not matter what McConnell says.
Brexit hangs in the balance, too.
I’m really starting to wonder if her little visit was about declassification. And how to prevent it.
The Senators on the Intelligence committee are part of the deep state.
Where was Mr Steele from? British intelligence - M16, before he retired. Where did he do his “investigation” for his dossier? In London among the huge Russian community there filled with Russian citizens, Russian expats, Russian state agents and Russian expats who are double agents - “informers” working both sides of the street. (London is the largest city outside of Russia with tons of Russian intelligence intrigue going on.) What was Steele’s dossier? Russian disinformation.
And where was Gina Haspel when Steele was preparing his dossier.
She was CIA station chief in London.
Problem is, Trump needs the GOP senators as allies if he’s going to fight the election fraud c
He needs to call them together into the White House and go over his concerns and make them say why those concerns do not bother them.
I would if I were him bring up the whole provenance of the Steel Dossier and where Gina Haspel sat as CIA Station Chief at the time Steele was hatching his hoax.
Problem is, Trump needs the GOP senators as allies if he’s going to fight the election fraud c
Seems to be a not so subtle public threat here to POTUS from the Senate. Don’t expect any help from us on the election if you fire Haspel.
Seems to be a not so subtle public threat here to POTUS from the Senate. Don’t expect any help from us on the election if you fire Haspel.“””
Thank you
This has been the GOPe playbook for all of Trump’s term: “Don’t fire Mueller or we’ll go along with the Democrats on impeachment”. “Don’t push your MAGA agenda, and don’t pull out of endless wars, or we’ll persecute you and your family with investigatory hearings”.
Mitch and most of the GOP senators were always nevertrumpers but they showed it with subtle back room plays, keeping Trump reined in for four years
Seems to be a not so subtle public threat here to POTUS from the Senate. Don’t expect any help from us on the election if you fire Haspel.“””
Thank you
This has been the GOPe playbook for all of Trump’s term: “Don’t fire Mueller or we’ll go along with the Democrats on impeachment”. “Don’t push your MAGA agenda, and don’t pull out of endless wars, or we’ll persecute you and your family with investigatory hearings”.
Mitch and most of the GOP senators were always nevertrumpers but they showed it with subtle back room plays, keeping Trump reined in for four years
He needs people who have his back.. within his party..but i guess that is asking to much?
“ He needs people who have his back.. within his party.”
Trump didn’t mount an effort to recruit and endorse MAGA people in GOP primaries. Instead he mostly endorsed incumbents. As a maverick in the GOP, he needed to work hard to build his own base of lawmakers who would “have his back”. I don’t think he did.
I love the guy, his instincts, his principles, and his courage. But I’m afraid he’s too undisciplined for the daunting task of draining the swamp. I’m not sure anybody could do it, but I know it can’t be done without a lot more discipline and laser-like strategy than Trump put into it.
For instance, you don’t drain the swamp by hiring Esper, Wray, Bolton, and Haspel.
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