Dakota Beacon

As of this writing, President Trump has been in office four days and has done more to set America on a course greatness than his predecessor did in four years.

Time and space do not allow a tally of Trump’s Executive Orders. Verification will be found and discussed in other than the dominant media. However, as Rogers and Hammerstein composed for The Sound of Music, “…here are a few of my favorite ‘things’” (i.e., executive orders - EOs).

Of the many EOs President Trump signed on Monday, January 20, three caught my eye because of my background. Trump revoked the security clearance of 51 former intelligence officials including former director of national intelligence Jim Clapper, former CIA director John Brennan, and former acting CIA directors John McLaughlin and Michael Morell. Those were just a few of the intel people who signed a 2020 letter arguing that emails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden carried “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” to interfere with American democracy. This letter was signed 15 days prior to the 2020 election and was part of the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. Talk about disloyalty! It was those intel officials who interfered with American democracy!

That EO accused the 51 officials of intentionally perpetuating the Russian disinformation campaign when they knew that it was not true. They tried to falsely implicate Trump in a Russian collusion scheme thus undermining a sitting president. Furthermore, the EO directs the director of national intelligence to submit a report to the White House, documenting “any additional inappropriate activity that occurred within the Intelligence Community by anyone contracted by the Intelligence Community or by anyone who held a security clearance” related to the letter, within 90 days.

This EO directly affects the access, for whatever reason, of individuals to classified information. That limits employment with any companies who have classified contracts. It would also affect these people’s ability to hold positions on various government boards, panels, and agencies.

Then there is yet another EO. National security adviser Michael Waltz has authorized a “full review” of career officials who currently staff the White House on national security issues. About 150 detailees, as they are known, remain from the Biden administration. Dozens of officials were sent home on Wednesday who were assigned to the National Security Council from other government agencies including CIA, National Security Agency, State Department, and Pentagon.

These people were told Wednesday in a brief phone call conducted by Waltz’s chief of staff, Brian McCormack, that they were to leave the building immediately. They were given instructions to return only if asked by their supervisors who are now their senior directors appointed by Trump. The move was aimed at ensuring that National Security Council personnel “are committed to implementing President Trump’s America First agenda.”

The move reflects Trump’s suspicion of career NSC officials, probably stemming in part from his experience with Alexander Vindman, who was an Army lieutenant colonel detailed to the NSC as director of European affairs. In July 2019, Vindman reported to officials his concern about Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, leading to Trump’s first impeachment later that year.

“YOU’RE FIRED!” In a related, but much broader move, still another EO signed by Trump in his first hours in office addressed Biden appointees as Trump’s team worked to remove 1,000 bureaucrats. “My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential appointees from the previous administration who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again. Let this serve as official notice of dismissal for these individuals with many more coming soon,” he said.

Significantly, one person removed was General Mark Milley. He was eliminated from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Milley was known to have intentionally worked against President Trump in his first administration. The General, who was given a pre-emptive pardon by President Biden on Monday, had his portrait removed from the Pentagon just hours after Trump was sworn in. Never forget that Milley communicated with China behind the sitting president’s back and told them he would give them a heads-up if the U.S. ever launched an attack. How disloyal is that?! Also, Milley abetted the raid on Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home to ensure documents linking him (Milley) to an attack on Iran were removed.

Trump rightfully cleans house. I am reminded of an old saying that goes like this, “If you are going to kill the King, you had better be successful on the first try!” Trump is walking proof of this.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).