The exam was survived

On January 12, in the upper house of the US Congress, hearings were held on the approval of Mike Pompeo and James Mattis, appointed by Donald Trump for posts, respectively, the director of the CIA and the Minister of Defense. The hearing on both candidates was much less confrontation than the dialogue between the senators with Rex Tillerson, which the elected president, who took place on the eve of his state secretary.

The last few days have been marked by the hot disputes of Donald Trump with the heads of special services, who have come to the point that the elected president accused the intelligence agencies almost of Nazi methods of working with information. Mike Pompeo , as an experienced politician, tried to smooth out the conflict, placing political accents in full accordance with what the legislators expected to hear from him in the specialized intelligence committee. If he did not please all senators on all issues, then he did not resolutely restore any of them against himself. The phrase Pompeo set the tone for the hearing, in which he, having been frozen with Trump, called the intelligence officers "patriots", defending the interests of America:

Russia returned to an aggressive course: the invasion and occupation of part of Ukraine; threats to Europe and zero real contribution to the fight against ISIS

- Russia returned to an aggressive course: the invasion and occupation of part of Ukraine; Threats to Europe and zero real contribution to the fight against ISIS. Such a number of complex challenges that we are faced today did not stand in front of us for a very long time. In the Middle East, we observe the expansion of subversive activities from Iran, the main sponsor of terror in the world; North Korea accelerates the implementation of fraught with nuclear missile and nuclear projects that threaten the stability of the region and the whole world. As a legislator, I was against a nuclear transaction with Iran, however, if my candidacy was approved by the director of the CIA, I, if necessary, will reorient my efforts to get human and technical resources entrusted to me to closely monitor the compliance by Tehran, not being constrained by a political order, said the candidate for the position of Director of the CIA.

Mike Pompeo

Pompeo said that "it is completely clear that Russia carried out cybercages to the United States in order to undermine our democracy. And that the attacks were authorized by the highest Russian leadership" in order to immediately remove the most painful problem from the agenda that divorced Trump and with the reconnaissance and with influential politicians in his own party. Pompeo positioned himself so that the audience had no doubt in his hardest intention to fulfill his official duty regardless of potential conflicts with the future chef. In particular, he promised to continue the investigation of the case of Russian hackers and share newly obtained information with the FBI. Trump during the election campaign threatened to revive tough methods of interrogation of terrorists, including torture with water or imitation of drowning; The methods were introduced by Bush Jr. and declared illegal administration of Obama. And on this issue, Pompeo showed his readiness to disobey the president if he suddenly gives such an order. In the same way, the application for the “zero” contribution of Russia to the fight against ISIS means that Pompeo, at least in words, does not share Trump's optimism regarding the prospects for cooperation with Moscow in the anti -terrorist field.

In one position, however, Pompeo did not give in to his "examiners", namely, on the connection of global warming and the likelihood of food and refugee crises or a deficiency of water resources. Supporters of the "climatological hypothesis" are many in the CIA and Pentagon. But Pompeo left direct answers to questions on this subject, which senators from the democratic camp asked him. In the same way, by the way, on the eve of the post of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who recognized the reality of climate change, but did not honest her priority that she had during the reign of Obama, positioned himself on the eve of the day before.

Mike Pompeo was the best student in his stream at the Academy of Ground Forces. After its end during the Cold War, he served in the border troops in Germany. Having demobilized, he entered the prestigious Faculty of Harvard. Three times, as a Republican, he was elected to the House of Representatives from Kansas. He earned a great political capital with a strict confrontation with Hillary Clinton and, in general, with the Obama administration regarding the causes of the death of four American diplomats in the Libyan city of Bengham. As Democrat Adam Schiff, who worked with him in the intelligence committee, said about Pompeo, "Michael has the ability to raise the right questions and listen to his interlocutors - a valuable combination of qualities that are important for the director of the CIA."

The Senate Committee for the Armed Forces held hearings on the candidacy of Lieutenant General James Mattis , appointed by the Minister of Defense. Here is a fragment from his conversation with the Chairman of the Committee John McCain:

Today, the main thing is to honestly admit to yourself what dangers of Putin's regime carrying the West

- Mr. Chairman, the story is not a dogma, although I do not know the best guide to action than history. Since the Yalta Conference, we have repeatedly tried to establish cooperation with Moscow, but the list of our successes in this field is very modest. Today, the main thing, as it seems to me, is to honestly admit to yourself what dangers of Putin's regime carrying the West. The Russian president is trying to split the North-Atlantic Defensive Union, and all members of the Union must interfere with this comprehensive efforts in this. The new world order, erected on the ruins of the Second World War, protected humanity from the new global disaster for 70 years, is today under the blows from Russia, terrorism and expansion of the PRC in the South China Sea, ”Mattis said.

James Mattis

Mattis was initially interfered with one technical catch, namely, that the former military man was not entitled to occupy the civil position of the Minister of Defense within seven years after going to the reserve only if the corresponding exception was not made by Congress. Senators overwhelming a majority of votes accepted this exception, and the lower house, in all likelihood, will follow their example.

“I, in general, are not at all against cooperation with Russia,” the general emphasized, “but the trouble is that the potential number of points of contact with Moscow is now decreasing, and the area of contradictions is expanding.” Regarding the skepticism of Donald Trump about NATO, Mattis noted that he has repeatedly brought to the elected president, "how successful NATO as a military organization is, definitely at the present stage, and maybe by general historical standards." “I found a grateful listener in him,” Mattis remarked.

If Michael Pompeo at his hearing went from climatological issues, then the former commander of the US armed forces at the Central Theater of Military operations did not burn, to put it mildly, the desire to satisfy the curiosity of democrats about their views on the role of women and gays in combat units. "My principle is, if possible, not to turn the past and not resist the innovations if they do not undermine the combat effectiveness of the army." Such, contour, was his answer.

A political scientist from the University of California in Fresno Bruce Thornton sharing his impressions of the past hearing:

It's no secret that these hearings are a political theater

- It is no secret to anyone that these hearings, in general, are a political theater. The main characters pronounce memorized political correct phrases on them, designed to not offend anyone. The American political vocabulary recently established the phrase Confirmation Conversion - a revision of the high position of his basic attitudes before approving his candidate in the Senate. Take Mike Pompeo: for a series of years, he insisted that the Obama administration was not right when he wanted to hold the CIA employees who applied tough interrogation methods to terrorists, including imitation of drowning, because according to the law that regulated this practice, which was adopted even under Clinton, imitation of drowning did not fall under the definition of torture. However, at the hearing of Pompeo, not wanting to enjoy the influential Democrat Senator Diane Faynstein, he said that Trump was disobeying if he received such an order from him. Despite the fact that he knows very well that in those cases when this method was used, he brought a lot of useful information. The same thing is true in relation to Mattis’s statements about the service of women in combat units: before the appointment, he was an active opponent of this measure. All complex disputed moments are filtered, and one water remains. According to it, the candidate safely sails to the approval, - Thornton believes.

Thornton states that it is impossible to hold accountable for dishonest answers, which the position of positions gives at the hearing, even under the oath, it is impossible. "Because the questions relate to hypothetical situations: what would you do, if and so on? The answers to a hypothetical nature cannot be the basis for judicial persecution," Tornon noted.

- I repeat: the answers that the applicants give are blurry, and it cannot be otherwise, while the questions that they ask them are either hypothetical or political, like questions about the torture that the Faynstein raised, or the task that the Senator Rubio raised before Tillerson: is Putin a military criminal? I would personally bring more specifics to the hearing, for example, I would ask: Mr. Pompeo, how would you ensure the implementation of the nuclear agreement by Iran, I remember that this transaction does not have the status of the law and maybe therefore it is relatively easily terminated? Or: General Mattis, what is doing NATO and America, in particular, in response to the invasion of Russian troops in Estonia? Do we declare war on Russia? It is unlikely that such a question will ever be asked, because we know that the United States will not fight because of Estonia, no matter what officially it proclaims NATO, ”the source of Radio Liberty suggests.

According to Bruce Thornton, a noble and important function of discussion and approval of candidates for the most important state posts in the Constitution for the Senate was noticeably degrading:

Today, hearing is just marketing for examiners and examiners

- A modern politician cannot resist the temptation to show off before the television cameras if they simultaneously transmit the signal through all the central channels. This gives him a chance to increase his recognition among voters or to type important support groups. The objective benefit of this political posture is small. And it has little in common with the constitutional function, which consists in clarifying the professional acceptance of the candidate. The function, which, as in the past, was optimally implemented by senators through private consultations with the elected president or with his nominees in a private conversation. Today, hearings are just marketing for examiners and examiners.

On January 13, the lower house of the US Congress - the House of Representatives - adopted a law allowing James Mattis to be civilian Minister of Defense. The document was sent for signature to President Barack Obama.