During the latter months of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised many things, one of the most prominent and slogan-worthy being his desire to “drain the swamp” in Washington D.C. This vague and open-ended promise resonated with many working-class Americans who were tired of the deadlock in Washington and its inability to successfully get things done. This disillusionment with the political class fueled Trump’s rise to prominence and eventual success in the election. Based on his appointments so far, however, it does not seem that that promise has been met by the Trump team.
Reince Priebus, Donald Trump’s selection for White House Chief of Staff, is certainly not a promising start for the President-elect’s campaign promise. As the Chairman of the Republican National Convention, Priebus is certainly not an outsider for a government position like Trump sells himself to be. Elected to the chairman positions of the Wisconsin Republic Party and the Republican National Convention in 2007 and 2011 respectively, Priebus is certainly no outsider to the world of politics. While experience is usually a positive when running for a particular office, this election has proved that it is certainly not necessary. Even more damning than his presence in a logjammed political system is Priebus’s relationship with one of the most active voices against Donald Trump, the one-and-only Paul Ryan. Both hailing from Wisconsin, these “Cheesehead Republicans” have been close ever since Priebus won the chairmanship of the Wisconsin GOP during Ryan’s stint in Congress for the Badger State. In an interview with RealClearPolitics, Priebus is quoted as saying that he was “always lucky and fortunate to have this star to promote in an otherwise pretty dismal Republican place” when asked about Ryan. Such a close relationship with one of Trump’s biggest detractors surely doesn’t seem to be a positive trait in an appointment to “drain the swamp.”
It will be tough to look past his “good people don’t smoke marijuana” comment, but Trump’s appointment for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, seems to be the type of pick that would only harm a man attempting to drain Washington of lobbying. Noted as a close friend of the ex-Senator from Mississippi and prominent lobbyist, Trent Lott, it doesn’t seem that Sessions will be doing much to keep money out of politics as Trump so often claimed. On his page from his time as Senator of Alabama, Sessions even went so far as to put up a tribute to Lott on his retirement. In an interview with The New York Times, Lott said, “There are going to be a lot of companies and people looking for guidance in how to deal with the legislative and executive branch. I am looking forward to it.” A noted lobbyist and ex-politician looking forward to working with the president-elect who ran a campaign heralding the need to end political corruption and keep money out of politics seems quite counter-productive to that end.
If a buddy of Paul Ryan and a pal of a prominent lobbyist weren’t bad enough for Trump’s attempt to “drain the swamp,” it gets even worse when his choice for C.I.A Director, Mike Pompeo, is thrown into the mix. Following the trend of the previous selections, the representative from Kansas and former Army officer is also wading in knee-deep water of the swamp which Trumps proposed to drain so frequently. During his time representing the Wichita area of Kansas, Pompeo frequently worked to push for legislation supported by his big-money backers, Koch Industries. Koch Industries, headquartered in Wichita, has fought against tougher government rules on chemical plants and has invested in Pompeo’s business, Thayer Aerospace, and his re-election bid to Congress in 2014 against former Rep. Todd Tiahrt. While there are varying views of the highly conservative PAC of Koch Industries, KOCHPAC, and of the Koch Brothers themselves, it is clear that a man so highly invested in by a major lobbying group is not the man to lead the drain for which Trump wishes.
The noticeable trend of bad selections who are bogged down in the swamp which Trump wishes to drain is egregious at this point. However, it only gets worse as his selections are further released. With his selection of Michael T. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Trump has selected a man who has been paid to lobby on behalf of the Turkish government through his role. Flynn has even written a piece for The Hill titled, “Our ally Turkey is in crisis and needs our support.” The Flynn Intel Group has accepted money from foreign investors such as Inovo BV, a supposed front organization for Inovo Turkije, which operates on contracts from the Turkish government. Flynn’s company has registered as a lobbying group due to its actions in relation to the Turkish government, and Mustafa Akyol, a commentator for Al-Monitor, has said that supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan (the president of Turkey) have responded as: “Finally, somebody in America who understands us.”
Paul Ryan’s good friend, a close friend of a prominent lobbyist, an ex-Representative with heavy ties to one of the largest lobbyist groups in the United States, and a man lobbying for the Turkish government. These are the men chosen by the anti-establishment, anti-corruption candidate, Donald Trump. A man who called for the draining of the swamp is doing just that. He is draining the swamp of corruption and filling it with his own very special (and appropriately priced) Trump Water™.
