By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, November 15, 2016, The Hill’s Jonathan Swan and Peter Schroeder are reporting that a source claims that US Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) will get whatever post he wants inside the new administration. They are reporting that Sen. Sessions has expressed interest in the work of three agencies: Defense, Justice and Homeland Security.
Sessions was the first Senator to endorse the New York City billionaire and reality TV star to be the next President of the United States. Sen. Sessions transitioned two of his senior staffers, Stephen Miller and Rick Dearborn, into positions inside Donald J. Trump’s campaign.
According to Swan and Schroeder, months before endorsing Trump Sessions and his team wrote Trump’s immigration plan. Miller has been writing speeches for Trump and directing his policy team. Sessions and Miller also had a close relationship with former Breitbart News head, Stephen K. Bannon. Bannon later joined the Trump campaign and has now been appointed Trump’s Senior Counselor and Chief West Wing Strategist.
Sen. Sessions is passionate about immigration issues. Sessions said recently in a statement, “The Obama Administration’s open-border policies have made our country less secure than we were eight years ago, eviscerated any semblance of credibility in our immigration system, and have created an ever-growing financial burden on US taxpayers. The country cannot sustain this course. The Obama Administration and the special interests may not believe in secure borders, but the American people do.”
Apparently the Trump Administration is moving ahead with plans to reverse President Obama’s executive actions concerning immigration.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (who advised Alabama legislators on this State’s controversial anti-illegal immigration law: HB56) has been appointed to Trump’s immigration policy transition team.
Kobach told Wichita TV station KWCH, “I’m a member of the immigration policy transition team, and there’s going to be a lot to do there, in part because Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama are diametrical opposites when it comes to immigration policy, so there will be a lot of changes.”
Sen. Sessions is also a supporter of a strong national defense.
Before the election, Sen. Sessions said in an interview with the Defense News, “I think at this point in history with the credibility of president of the United States eroded, were they to suspect that the United States is abandoning its defense spending. It takes more than a speech to turn this around.”
According to Sessions Trump wants to enlarge the U.S. Navy from 272 ships to 350 ships. They would do this by bringing cruisers out of mothballs, speeding up overhauls of existing ships, building more littoral combat ships (LCSs), building more attack submarines, and building more Gerald Ford class aircraft carriers to get the total number of carriers up to 12.
Sen. Sessions said, “Trump’s plans are actually to build more ships and maintain a higher number of troops and aircraft. It will go a lot further than words to convince the world that we remain strong. It will help us to maintain the peace.”
Sen. Sessions is also a possible Attorney General. Sessions is a former US Attorney in Alabama and former Alabama Attorney General.
Fox News is reporting that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) talking with Donald Trump on Tuesday about the Attorney General position.
Swan and Schroeder report that former New York City Rudy Giuliani wants to be Trump’s Secretary of State. Giuliani told Fox News Sean Hannity that he had been to over a hundred countries, “I know the world.”
Bush Administration United Nations ambassador John Bolton is also supposed to have a big foreign policy or national security role in the Trump administration.
Bloomberg Politics is reporting that other names being discussed for Secretary of State include former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that Trump wants people who are loyal to his vision.
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham is being considered for White House. Ingraham told Hannity, “It is cool to be mentioned.”
Former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin is being mentioned as a possible Treasury Securetary. Mnuchin was Trump’s national finance chair. Wilbur Ross was mentioned by Trump supporter Carl Icahn as a possible Commerce Secretary.
Michelle Rhee, who has advised Alabama Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) and Gov. Robert Bentley (R) on expanding school choice in Alabama, has been mentioned as being on Trump’s list for Education Secretary. Billionaire Betsy DeVos is another name being discussed for Education Secretary.
If Sessions joins the Trump cabinet, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley will appoint the next Senator. There would be a special election within two years.
