From Ron Paul Institute

President Trump's pick for secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and his replacement, CIA deputy director Gina Hansel.
(Image by YouTube, Channel: Washington Post) Details DMCA
President Trump's recent cabinet shake-up looks to be a real boost to hard-line militarism and neo-conservatism. If his nominees to head the State Department and CIA are confirmed, we may well have moved closer to war.
Before being chosen by Trump to head up the CIA, Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo was one of the most pro-war Members of Congress. He has been militantly hostile toward Iran, and many times has erroneously claimed that Iran is the world's number one state sponsor of terror. The truth is, Iran neither attacks nor threatens the United States.
At a time when President Trump appears set to make history by meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un face-to-face, Pompeo remains dedicated to a "regime change" policy that leads to war, not diplomacy and peace. He blames Iran -- rather than the 2003 US invasion -- for the ongoing disaster in Iraq. He enthusiastically embraced the Bush policy of "enhanced interrogation," which the rest of us call "torture."
In a society that actually valued the rule of law, Haspel may be facing time in a much different kind of federal facility than CIA headquarters.
While it may be disappointing to see people like Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and Gina Haspel as the head of the CIA, it shouldn't be all that surprising. The few areas where President Trump's actions are consistent with candidate Trump's promises are ripping up the nuclear deal with Iran and embracing the torture policies of President George W. Bush. Candidate Trump in late 2015 promised to bring back waterboarding "and a whole lot worse" if he became president. It seems that is his intention with the elevation of Pompeo and Haspel to the most senior positions in his Administration.
I am heartened to see some Senators -- including Sen. Rand Paul -- pledging to oppose President Trump's nominees for State and CIA. Let's hope many more join him -- and let's hope the rest of the Congress wakes up to its role as first among equals in our political system!