As President-elect Donald Trump announced three new picks for his White House on Friday – Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, Retired US Army Lieutenant-General Mike Flynn and Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo, all staunch Trump loyalists – at least one commentator referred to the Trump administration now taking shape as a “team of racists”.
Sessions, the first senator to endorse Trump, was denied a federal judgeship in the 1980s for allegedly making racist comments. He has opposed marriage equality, hate crime protections, and mass deportation, and described the Voting Rights Act as “intrusive”. He will need Senate confirmation to become Attorney General.
Flynn, appointed National Security Adviser (a role requiring no Senate approval), has called Islam “a cancer” and has been criticised for his abrasive management style and ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Several senior military figures reportedly urged him to moderate his rhetoric, with others calling him “unhinged”.
Pompeo, nominated to lead the CIA, is known for opposing the Iran Nuclear Deal and defending the use of waterboarding. He is a vocal critic of Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s selections contrast sharply with Barack Obama’s first cabinet, which included former rival Hillary Clinton and was hailed as a “team of rivals”. Civil rights groups and Democrats have expressed alarm over the appointments.
