Trump47 and the Decapitation of the Éminences Grises
One specific Executive Order signed last night stands out from the rest
Team Trump had four years to prepare for his return to office, something that certainly wasn’t guaranteed to happen, despite an undeniable inevitability around it.
Last night saw this preparation transformed into action, as President Trump signed off on some 70(!) executive orders shortly after being inaugurated for the second time. Much of it had to do with keeping promises to his base, and quite a lot had to do with announcing that “American is open for business again”.
Described by many as “shock and awe”, the tsunami of executive orders released on day one of Trump47 is meant to overwhelm political opposition to his administration, but also to send a message to Americans and to the world. Trump has effectively put everyone on notice that the USA is changing course, and that course means “America First”. However, only time will tell if this course can be maintained.
Yesterday, I shared with you the four key interests that I have with respect to Trump’s second term in office:
Excerpt:
1. Gutting the Deep State
This is by far the most important task at hand because if the permanent state is not rolled back, every single accomplishment is immediately made temporary. The smartest thing that Stephen Bannon ever said was back in 2015 or 2016 (I can’t recall which specific year it was) when he explained that it will take twenty years of consecutive victories in order to right the ship. The Trump Team is cognizant of this fact, which is why Executive Orders have been drafted beforehand to issue on Day One of Trump47.
Some of you will recall that there was a wave of resignations the last time Trump entered the White House. The US Department of State practically gutted itself under Rex Tillerson, only for Trump to fire him and hire Mike Pompeo, who brought all the snakes back into State. The Deep State subverted Trump45, working hand-in-glove with media and Big Tech to tank his regime. There are no excuses this time around to deal with long-standing leftovers and moving his own people into key roles.
Lo and behold, only a few hours later The Donald took his first big shot at the Deep State by issuing an Executive Order entitled: “Holding Former Government Officials Accountable For Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information”.
Check out the first section:
Section 1. Purpose. In the closing weeks of the 2020 Presidential campaign, at least 51 former intelligence officials coordinated with the Biden campaign to issue a letter discrediting the reporting that President Joseph R. Biden’s son had abandoned his laptop at a computer repair business. Signatories of the letter falsely suggested that the news story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Before being issued, the letter was sent to the CIA Prepublication Classification Review Board, the body typically assigned to formally evaluate the sensitive nature of documents prior to publication. Senior CIA officials were made aware of the contents of the letter, and multiple signatories held clearances at the time and maintained ongoing contractual relationships with the CIA.
Federal policymakers must be able to rely on analysis conducted by the Intelligence Community and be confident that it is accurate, crafted with professionalism, and free from politically motivated engineering to affect political outcomes in the United States. The signatories willfully weaponized the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process and undermine our democratic institutions. This fabrication of the imprimatur of the Intelligence Community to suppress information essential to the American people during a Presidential election is an egregious breach of trust reminiscent of a third world country. And now the faith of Americans in all other patriotic intelligence professionals who are sworn to protect the Nation has been imperiled.
National security is also damaged by the publication of classified information. Former National Security Advisor John R. Bolton published a memoir for monetary gain after he was terminated from his White House position in 2019. The book was rife with sensitive information drawn from his time in government. The memoir’s reckless treatment of sensitive information undermined the ability of future presidents to request and obtain candid advice on matters of national security from their staff. Publication also created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed.
To remedy these abuses of the public trust, this Order directs the revocation of any active or current security clearances held by: (i) the former intelligence officials who engaged in misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign; and (ii) John R. Bolton.
Singling out John Bolton is very, very funny, and classic Trump. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Bolton just got served.
In the third section of this EO, Trump, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and in consultation with the CIA revoked current and/or active security clearances for all 51 individuals covered by section one. Some of the names include:
(1) James R. Clapper Jr.
(2) Michael V. Hayden
(3) Leon E. Panetta
(4) John O. Brennan
(20) Nada G. Bakos
(40) John Sipher
and last, but certainly not least:
(50) John R. Bolton
During the campaign, I couldn’t help but notice how muted the intel community was in comparison to 2016 and 2020. I still can’t explain it, but it did prepare me for the lack of reaction to Trump’s victory this time around. Brennan hasn’t said a peep, for example.
Will this action do away with the Deep State? I don’t think so….but it does show that Trump47 means business.
As you say, contrary to the death throes we saw the mainstream media and Obama-era democrats engage in (such as going back to the thoroughly and popularly debunked claims that Trump is a Nazi, the "Very Fine People" hoax, etc), the Intel Community did not interfere in the 2024 election. The 50 named individuals did not go all out trying to undermine Trump's candidacy, or the credibility of any of his closest allies -- only Matt Gaetz was ejected from orbit, and then only because he couldn't keep is dick in his pants. Vivek left the party after demonstrating his deeply held Americana Last prejudices.
So then why would these 50 individuals just go quietly to the career guillotine? By losing their security clearance, their careers are over. They can't really even be credible media pundits on the propaganda outlets. What were they thinking over the past summer?
'During the campaign, I couldn’t help but notice how muted the intel community was in comparison to 2016 and 2020. I still can’t explain it'
Maybe because they have (also) observed that the Biden admin did not take place?
Compact mag: The Biden Administration Did Not Take Place
Nathan Pinkoski
When Jean Baudrillard wrote his infamous 1991 polemic The Gulf War Did Not Take Place, his point was not to deny the existence of the conflict in the Persian Gulf. It was, rather, a reflection on the changing character of war.
The primary arena of military power, Baudrillard argued, had shifted from the use of actual force to the control of the information space. Information technology and those who controlled it—the media and the military—had captured reality.
The Biden administration likewise revealed the changing character of Western politics. Its actions did not proceed from the political will of the executive. It was, instead, a non-administration, an experiment that aimed to put an end to politics, and to all political threats to a unified system of control.
The speed at which Trump’s opponents have retreated, after all their rhetoric about the existential threat he posed to democracy, “clearly shows that on all sides”—as Baudrillard would say—that the Biden administration “is considered not to have taken place.”