Much has been made of Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington, a clever way of saying that he will get rid of the business-as-usual establishment politicians responsible for turning government into the disaster it has become.
Unfortunately, when it comes to some of his cabinet appointments, it looks like the swamp drains directly into the White House.
Reince Priebus – Chief of Staff
The former Republican boss hijacked the party during the primaries and the Convention, one time telling Conservatives that they weren’t welcome in the GOP unless they bowed to the establishment–kind of like Mitch McConnell.
How are you draining the swamp when you give the CEO of Swamp, Inc. the highest ranking job in the White House?
Jeff Sessions – Attorney General
While it can be argued that the soon-to-be former Senator from Alabama is an acceptable Conservative choice–he carries a “C” Liberty Score at Conservative Review–Sessions was very weak with some of his responses on social issues during his confirmation. Calling abortion and same-sex marriage “the law of the land,” he acknowledged that the Supreme Court rulings on these matters were unconstitutional, but emphasized his commitment to “respect and follow” them.
How can the Attorney General of the United States respect and follow laws he deems unconstitutional?
Scott Pruitt – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Praised by Republicans for his anti-EPA legal activism as Oklahoma Attorney General, during his confirmation hearing Pruitt stated his belief that climate change is real and not a “hoax.”
His position is contrary to the one once held by Trump, but it is pretty close to the position held by one of the Trump children and unofficial Climate Czar, his daughter Ivanka.
Rick Perry – Secretary of Energy
The former governor once believed that the Energy Department should be eliminated, but during his confirmation hearing he apologized for holding that position. It’s amazing how necessary the bloated federal bureaucracy can become when you can score a government job, isn’t it?
In addition, Perry’s testimony included his belief that global warming is real, and the some of it “is caused by man-made activity.”
Ryan Zinke – Secretary of Interior
Despite Obama’s gross abuse of the Antiquities Act of 1906–a law that allows the president to keep historical or prominent archeological sites from being immediately destroyed in times when such destruction might come too quickly for Congress to prevent–in the Western United States, Zinke stated during his confirmation that the government should hold on the millions of acres it has seized. And, like Perry and Pruitt, Zinke also testified that global warming is real and influenced by man.
These are just a few examples, but are you getting the picture?
Trump rode a wave of frustration with Washington to win the presidency. But how will things change when his administration is being run by the same establishment that caused the frustration in the first place?
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically incorrect and always “right.” His articles can also be found on RedState.com.
His daily radio commentary is nationally syndicated with Salem Radio Network and can be heard on stations across America.
