Free Republic

President Donald Trump has squashed Eliot Abrams’ hopes of being picked for a crucial State Department post. Abrams had emerged as a possible contender for Deputy Secretary of State, it was reported on Monday, and even met with Trump to discuss the position, according to Politico. Trump, however, reportedly vetoed Abrams’ appointment after learning Abrams had been a vocal critic during the campaign. Abrams, a Republican Establishment neoconservative, was incredibly hostile toward Trump’s campaign and its America first message. “This was Donald Trump’s thin skin and nothing else,” a Republican source reportedly told Politico. But it’s not difficult to see...

A bipartisan group of senators is moving to check President Trump on Russia by bolstering congressional oversight before he can lift sanctions. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced legislation Wednesday setting up a period of congressional oversight before Trump could roll back financial penalties. The legislation, known as the Russia Sanctions Review Act, would require Trump to notify Congress before he lifts sanctions tied to the invasion of Ukraine or Russia's meddling in the White House race. “To provide relief at this time would send...

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) -- The conservative Koch network plans to spend between $300 million and $400 million to influence politics and public policy over the next two years, intensifying its nationwide efforts in the initial years of Donald Trump's presidency.Network officials disclosed their rough spending plans Saturday as donors gathered at a luxury hotel in the California desert. The investment, backed by the organization's extensive nationwide network, positions the billionaire industrialist family to play a major role in the debate over several Trump priorities — even those they oppose.

1. The document [that Buzzfeed released] has no letterhead, no identification, no date, no nothing. For many good technical and even legal reasons, sensitive intelligence documents are created with plenty of tracking and identification information. For example, such a document would typically have a reference to the unit which produced it or an number-letter combination indicating the reliability of the source and of the information it contains. 2. The classification CONFIDENTIAL/SENSITIVE SOURCE is a joke. If this was a true document its level of classification would be much, much higher than “confidential” and since most intelligence documents come from sensitive...

Mark R. Levin Verified account ‏@marklevinshow Rubio educates Tillerson Gloves OFF: Rubio takes Putin-squish Tillerson to the WOODSHED "It should not be hard to say V'Ladimir Putin's army has comitted war crimes in Alleppo."conservativereview.com

Gotta say, although I think Rubio will cave and end up voting for Tillerson reluctantly, the palpable disdain he evinces here for the nominee really has me wondering. You don’t expect resolve from a guy who said in the primaries that Trump was unfit to command the nuclear arsenal and then endorsed him for president a few months later, but it’s hard logically to get from the point A of this clip to the point B of Rubio voting to confirm. And remember, his vote counts more than most: He’s a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will...

The rising hysteria about Russia is best understood as fulfilling two needs for Official Washington: the Military Industrial Complex’s transitioning from the “war on terror” to a more lucrative “new cold war” – and blunting the threat that a President Trump poses to the neoconservative/liberal-interventionist foreign-policy establishment......... We need to understand that those who want this war will be absolutely relentless. The sales pitch will not end until they get exactly what they want.....

STUNNING Move by Putin By S. Noble - December 30, 2016 Putin refuses “to sink to the level of this irresponsible “kitchen” diplomacy.” In a stunning move, the Russian President Vladimir Putin will not retaliate against Obama’s sanctions. They took the high road. Russia, they said, refuses “to sink to the level of this irresponsible “kitchen” diplomacy.” The cagey President got all his licks in yesterday through his foreign minister and spokesman who talked of Obama’s “paranoia”. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that he would recommend an equivalent response to Obama’s retaliation for unproven allegations of hacking. The Russian...

The leaflets fell from the sky over Aleppo, offering dire warnings. “If you don’t leave these areas quickly,” they admonished civilians, “you will be annihilated. Save yourselves.… Everyone has left you alone to face your doom.…” As Syrian government forces continue to steamroll through eastern Aleppo, the rebel opposition’s last stronghold in this war-ravaged city, the leaflets aren’t just a warning for residents; they’re also an indication that President Bashar al-Assad is poised for victory. It was only a year ago that the rebels seemed on the verge of taking Aleppo, once Syria’s bustling commercial capital. But due to a...

Rumors are that Donald Trump might pick John Bolton for Secretary of State. Heaven forbid.One of the things I occasionally liked about the President-elect was his opposition to the Iraq war and regime change. He not only grasped the mistake of that war early, but also seemed to fully understand how it disrupted the balance of power in the Middle East and even emboldened Iran.We liberated Iraq, but today their best friend is Iran, their second greatest ally is Russia, and their third strongest alliance is with Syria. Trump really seems to get the lesson. Hillary Clinton never did.Most importantly...

WASHINGTON — Rule of thumb for a presidential campaign where the two candidates have the highest unfavorable ratings in the history of polling: If you’re the center of attention, you’re losing. As Election Day approaches, Hillary Clinton cannot shake the spotlight. She is still ahead in the polls, but you know she’s slipping when she shows up at a Florida campaign event with a week to go accompanied by the former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. * * * We are entering a period of unprecedented threat to the international order that has prevailed under American leadership since 1945. After eight...

On Wednesday, Bill Kristol joined MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the state of the race. With regard to early voting patterns and other early indicators, Kristol said, "It still looks to me like Hillary Clinton wins." The WEEKLY STANDARD editor suggested swing voters who may have resigned themselves for voting for Clinton may now be deciding to vote for neither based on the newest revelations that the FBI is still investigating her private email scheme. That, he said, could be the Democrat's biggest problem going into Election Day. Kristol also called for extending the World Series for another six days,...

But (Hillary Clinton) is a patriot. She will uphold the sovereignty and independence of the United States. She will defend allies. She will execute the laws with reasonable impartiality. She may bend some rules for her own and her supporters’ advantage. She will not outright defy legality altogether. Above all, she can govern herself; the first indispensable qualification for governing others. So I will vote for the candidate who rejects my preferences and offends my opinions. (In fact, I already have voted for her.)

When you look at the most compelling reasons to vote for Trump: 1. Supreme Court Picks 2. Taxes 3. Economy 4. Support for Israel 5. Immigration/Secure Borders 6. Military 7. @nd Amendment 8. Etc This pompous ass is NOT going to vote for Trump. He's going to write someone in... Maybe someone like Edith Head... Well, from one doctor to another, Sir. I realize tonight that you are as dumb as the dumbest jackass. You teach me nothing. Obviously, Trump is a threat to you. Consider how great you'd be in our eyes, had you supported our guy. Instead you...

Just as I thought, many prospective voters are worried about Hillary’s push for war against Russia, it’s driving independents and even some Dems away just like I saw on the night of the 2nd debate, when I was working among a group of Democrats who went silent when Hillary started talking about her ill advised no fly zone plans in Syria, to help al-Qaida and ISIS. And comments about this are popping up everywhere on the forums. Trump will win this election if he puts the focus on Hillary’s unhinged war hunger, and especially if he makes an ad like...

The short version of this: the Trump campaign WILL WIN if they blanket the Battleground States with an ad like the 1964 ad that LBJ used against Barry Goldwater—wrongly in LBJ’s case, but rightly in Trump’s case—setting Hillary Clinton’s crazy globalist warmongering words against Russia (her push for a no fly zone and “leverage” against Russia, her words) with pictures of American cities, towns, parks and homes being flattened in a nuclear exchange in World War 3. This will rightfully scare American voters about Hillary’s policies bringing even liberal Democrats to support him. I saw this with my own eyes...

Friday on MSNBC, while discussing Monday night’s upcoming presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said Trump knows “deep in his heart he shouldn’t be president of the United States.” Partial transcript as follows: STEPHANIE RUHLE: Joining me now is Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard. As I said, the heat is on, but Donald Trump is painting this picture, eating cheese steaks, chilling out, adding another rally on Saturday night. Do you believe it? Do you believe this easy breezy Donald Trump is showing up, or do...

Hillary Clinton is winning endorsements from Republicans who served in the Pentagon or worked on national security teams for GOP presidents. But don't expect Clinton to pay back those endorsements by nominating Republicans to serve at the Pentagon.

Berlin, Germany — Leading neo-conservative Paul Wolfowitz said he would not back Donald Trump for US president and might vote for Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton instead, in an interview published Friday.

In an interview, Paul Wolfowitz, 72, an advisor to former President Bush, discusses the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency, why he will likely vote for the Democrat’s candidate this year and mistakes made during the Iraq war. […]Spiegel: Recently, 50 former senior Republican security officials declared Donald Trump to be a security risk. Is he? Wolfowitz: Yes, he is. Spiegel: Why? Wolfowitz: He says he admires Putin, that Saddam Hussein was killing terrorists, that the Chinese were impressive because they were tough on Tiananmen Square. That is pretty disturbing. […] Spiegel: Who are you going to vote for in...