President-elect claims ex-NY mayor would have been ‘outstanding’ in administration role, but respects his alleged decision to remain in private sector
ed note–As we cautioned weeks ago after the election when noises began emanating from the Trump campaign that certain infamous characters–including Rudy Giuliani–were being considered for cabinet posts, people need to relax, cool their jets and not get the knickers in a knot prematurely. This is what politics is all about–people say things, they dance in such a way to give certain appearances for reasons of public consumption, but everything has to run its course before we are going to see what is actually scheduled to take place, and now, voila, it turns out that all that wailing and gnashing of teeth over talk of Giualiani being in Trump’s cabinet was a waste of time that resulted in a lot of unnecessary noise pollution.
In the meantime, prepare yourselves–Trump WILL do things that give the appearance of things being ‘business as usual’. He will appoint infamous Jews to certain posts. He will say nice things about Israel. He will shake Netanyahu’s hand and refer to him as ‘my friend, Bibi’. Aid to Israel will continue, as well as support in the UN.
BUT, there will be changes taking place in that regard that have not been seen since George H.W. Bush held up loans to Israel based upon her recalcitrant behavior vis a vis settlement expansion. Rome was not built in a day, was not destroyed in a day and will not be rebuilt in a day, so before all the self-proclaimed ‘experts’ in this ‘movement’ jump the gun and start sounding the warning sirens indicating that a category 5 hurricane is imminent just because there was a very distant rumble of thunder, how about we just take a wait and see approach to this whole thing lest we lose even more of our already damaged credibility with those around us who we have spent decades trying to educate.
Times of Israel
President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that outspoken former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a key surrogate on the campaign trail, would not join his incoming administration after he takes office next month.
Giuliani had been a candidate for the most prestigious cabinet job of secretary of state but subsequently came under scrutiny in the US media over business dealings that could pose conflicts of interest.
“Rudy would have been an outstanding member of the cabinet in several roles, but I fully respect and understand his reasons for remaining in the private sector,” the president-elect said in a statement.
“He is and continues to be a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date,” he added.
Reince Priebus, Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, said Giuliani was vetted by the transition team for possible conflicts and “passed with flying colors.”
Trump is yet to announce his pick to lead the State Department, and on Sunday, top adviser Kellyanne Conway said the president-elect is expanding his pool of candidates for the job as the nation’s top diplomat.
“There’s not a finite list of candidates” for secretary of state, Conway told reporters. “More than four. Who knows how many finalists there will be?”
The remark came a week after Trump aides confirmed that he had settled on four finalists for the post, with Giuliani among them.
After Trump’s upset victory last month, the former mayor made no secret of his desire for the secretary of state position, and on Friday said that he now looked forward to continuing to work in his law and consulting firms.
“This is not about me; it is about what is best for the country and the new administration,” said Giuliani in the statement released by Trump’s transition team.
“From the vantage point of the private sector, I look forward to helping the president-elect in any way he deems necessary and appropriate,” he added.
Trump praised the 72-year-old Giuliani as an “extraordinarily talented and patriotic American” and that he would “always be appreciative of his 24/seven dedication to his election campaign.
The former mayor will remain a vice chairman of the presidential transition team, which is chaired by Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
