White House Purges All Deep State Imperialist Running Dogs It Inexplicably Hired

Excellent vetting!

PUUUUUURGE! The Trump administration is going on a firing spree to get rid of those dirty "professionals," who do their job but lack sufficient loyalty to the Dear Leader. Axios reports that Ginni Thomas, AKA Mrs. Justice Clarence Thomas, has been meeting with conservative activists who call themselves Groundswell to compile a hit list of political appointees to get the axe.

We're not talking about civil service employees, here, since they have at least some legal protections. No, these are people hired by the Trump administration, who are now getting whacked for being secret Deep State counter-revolutionaries. Or something.

Since Trump's Senate acquittal, aides say the president has crossed a psychological line regarding what he calls the "Deep State." He feels his government — from Justice to State to Defense to Homeland Security — is filled with "snakes." He wants them fired and replaced ASAP.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. But you should probably see a neurologist STAT.

Noted conspiracy loon Ginni Thomas has been scribbling this enemies list in the conference room at Judicial Watch, aided by such luminaries as Barbara Ledeen, Mike Flynn's companion for that 2016 field trip to the dark web looking to buy up Hillary Clinton's deleted emails. Ledeen is also a high-ranking staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and we'll have many thoughts about her later this afternoon. (Spoiler Alert: She's THE WORST.)

After Groundswell's early success getting rid of National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster for insufficient MAGA energy, Thomas scored a meeting with the president in January 2019, where he "listen[ed] quietly as members of the group denounced transgender people and women serving in the military." According to the  New York Times  , Thomas accused the White House of blocking Trump's "real" supporters from getting jobs in his administration.

Or perhaps her allies can't get hired in the executive branch because they're all fucking crazy and wouldn't pass a background check.

Here's her personnel wish list, via Axios:

• Sheriff David Clarke for a senior Homeland Security role.

• Fox News regular and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino for a Homeland Security or counterterrorism adviser role.

• Devin Nunes aide Derek Harvey for the National Security Council (where he served before McMaster pushed him out).

• Radio talk show host Chris Plante for press secretary.

• Federalist contributor Ben Weingarten for the National Security Council.

KEWL. Let's put Sheriff "Blingee" Clarke, who routinelytweets threats at journalists, was too crazy even for Fox News, and whom the Trump administration already took a pass on, in charge of DHS. Bongino's not doing anything but hoovering up cash from conservatives since NRATV folded, so give him a job, too. And no one knows who funds The Federalist, but Ben Weingarten just got finished writing American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party , so he's got some time on his hands.

Sorry, Ginny. Maybe Plante and Nunes's lackey Harvey have a shot, but Benny, Blingee, and Bingo Bango Bongo are probably a no-go. And Groundswell's last pick for NSA, John Bolton, didn't exactly live up to the hype, either.

But the purge continues apace. Trump has brought back his former body man Johnny McEntee, who was escorted off the premises last year for reported gambling issues, to head the Office of Presidential Personnel, in charge of hundreds of executive branch appointees. The New York Times reports:

Johnny McEntee, a 29-year-old loyalist just installed to take over the Office of Presidential Personnel and reporting directly to Mr. Trump, has ordered a freeze on all political appointments across the government. He also convened a meeting to instruct departments to search for people not devoted to the president so they can be removed, according to people briefed about the session, and informed colleagues that he planned to tell cabinet secretaries that the White House would be choosing their deputies from now on.

Under McEntee, NSC professionals Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, Victoria Coates, and Andrew Hallman have been shunted to other agencies. With DNI Maguire out, and Ric Grenell in, there will be no one presenting annoying intel about actual facts on the ground that conflict with Trumpland alternative facts. Investigations of pro-Trump Russian election attacks will be suppressed. Because what even is the purpose of intelligence if it can't be used to help perpetuate Republican power?

It's bad. It's so bad. Happy Monday!

[ Axios / NYT ]

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