Colin Powell issues grave national security warning: Trump is gutting the State Department

[CousinIT]

Donald Trump’s consistent position seems to be that the State Department is not an important or useful arm of the U.S. government, or even foreign policy specifically.

In a Fox News interview on Thursday night, Trump said that he was not concerned about the huge number of unfilled jobs in the State Department because, in his view, “I’m the only one that matters.” He added that he doesn’t know if he is even going to keep Secretary of State Rex Tillerson around much longer.

One former prominent diplomat has had enough of this dangerous rhetoric. According to Reuters, former Secretary of State Colin Powell met with the administration and expressed his concern about Trump’s damage to the department:

At a recent meeting of former national security advisers, former Secretary of State Colin Powell told H.R. McMaster, Trump’s national security advisor, that the administration was gutting State. McMaster replied that there were people who did not support the president’s agenda, two people present told Reuters.

Powell’s alarm is shared by many others, including Sen. Bob Corker, who accused Trump of “publicly castrating” Tillerson, and Tillerson himself, who called Trump a “fucking moron” after Trump suggested a tenfold increase in the nuclear arsenal.

https://shareblue.com/colin-powell-issues-grave-national-security-warning-trump-is-gutting-the-state-department/#.Wf4xyzjWC5k.twitter

[left-of-center2012]

1. Trump may not keep Secretary of State Rex Tillerson around much longer

Why should he,
since Trump has the greatest mind in the world.

[MFM008]

37. And greatest memory

And greatest health
And he's most important......

[RKP5637]

2. Trump, is becoming a nation unto himself. Just about the whole world hates him! AND,

if he's so damn smart, how come he's so fucken stupid!

[SergeStorms]

14. He has all...

the best words. So...........he's got that going for him.

[Angry Dragon]

3. " there were people who did not support the presidents agenda,"

How the hell can one be against his agenda when he has not even stated his agenda??

[syringis]

22. Trump's agenda...

Lucky bag !

[Angry Dragon]

24. one cone I do not want

[syringis]

31. I understand that.

It an unlucky bag more like.

[GoCubsGo]

4. He's gutting the whole damn government.

You're just now figuring out that he's gutting the State Department???

[tonyt53]

5. And people on here are re-doing the Democratic primary from last year.

EYES WIDE OPEN AND KEEP LOOKING FORWARD AND TO BOTH SIDES PEOPLE!!!!! STOP LOOKING BACK!!!!! Now is not the time for forget about trump, even for a minute.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

47. Some of us are capable of doing more than one thing at a time.

Should I quite my job to make sure I don't forget about Trump? How about get a divorce? If not a divorce, can I have sex, because I promise you I'm not thinking about Trump at that time.

I am more than capable of thinking that the DNC needs some adjustments while also being aware that there is a madman in the White House.

Hey, maybe you should get off the intertubes so you don't get distracted away from Trump!

[tonyt53]

48. You just reaffirmed what I stated. You are also falling for the same distractions as last fall.

[Cryptoad]

6. O Yellar has no need of a State Dept

like alll Dictatorships

[Ukapau]

7. Duh effing duh! Ya think? Took you a hell of a long time to decide to object. You are too effing

hesitant to criticize Republicans, such as when you supported the effing Iraq war. Even now, you have not (as far as I can recall) said that W Bush lied about the reasons for the Iraq Debacle War.

[raccoon]

42. Thank you for posting that. NT

[BigmanPigman]

8. I thought he gutted it last Feb along with many other

departments and positions. We do not have any ambassadors left. I guess he doesn't trust them or doen't think they are necessary since he is so wonderful he doesn't need any help from anyone with anything. He has been saying so since the campaign.

[SergeStorms]

15. He doesn't want to....

take time out of his busy TV watching day to write down some names. Even if someone wrote them down for him, he'd still have to look at them and stuff. Who ever knew being "president" would be so hard? Laziest. president. Ever.

[ProudLib72]

9. I seem to recall how Powell did his part to get this ball rolling

Now that it has gained momentum, he shouts the alarm? No, I don't disagree with him, but he could have acted 14 years ago. I'm just tired of all the people who enabled the GOP death machine give us "dire warnings".

[Alice11111]

35. They never planned to speak.They see our nation unraveling, and even they must now speak up.

[Xolodno]

10. Wannabe dictators...

...are going to dictate.

[Sam McGee]

11. McMaster needs to go.

[radical noodle]

26. We'll always just get someone worse

Bigly sad.

[Thunderbeast]

32. Probably a MaraLago pool boy...

[radical noodle]

34. There actually is a Cabana Boy

who has a position in the Trump administration. Rachel talked about it last week.

[SergeStorms]

12. "I'm the only one that matters".

Yes, the slothful, ill-tempered, greedy, insult throwing dullard is "the only one that matters".

Mueller..........PLEASE HURRY! Our country will not last much longer. Trump is completely mad, drowning in his own reflection.

[Ilsa]

19. Exactly the line that points to his malignant narcissism.

A psychiatrist I know said it would take only about ten minutes of listening to DOTUS for her and her colleagues to conclude he's pathological. No tests, no interviews, no couchside analysis are necessary. He proves it when he opens his mouth and by his actions.

[Nitram]

13. Trump is making the biggest impact on foreign policy by castrating the State Department.

Something the right wing has always wanted to do. The bush Administration effectively ignored the State Department and put all their support into the military. Looks what that got us.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. This is truly one of the stupidest of many stupid things tRump is doing. Shoots himself in the foot.

[pangaia]

28. He's not shooting himself he's shooting us.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. Yes, but he is shooting himself too. It can lead to failures: Benghazis, Iraqs, and worse.

He's a bully and thinks making the US a bully is the best policy.

[hibbing]

17. You should be in jail, but thanks n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

40. Powell doesn't read DU.

Perhaps I am mistaken and you are referring to the Original Poster?

[Martin Eden]

18. If Trump was explicitly doing Putin's bidding ...

... he would gut the State Department and undermine key institutions like the judiciary and the free press.

[bdamomma]

43. Grasshopper

is being taught how to be wanna be dic............tator by Uncle Vlad.

After all as he said all that matters is him..... can we arrest this POS.

[VOX]

20. Powell's a cool customer. If he's rattled, then shit is seriously serious.

I know, I know, Powell carried BushCo's water for the Iraq invasion run-up ('If you break it, you own it'). I think his doing that "good soldier" number-- for Poppy's sake, mostly-- broke him somewhat. He's voted Democratic for awhile now.

Regardless, Powell is a giant canary in the coal mine. Time to shitcan Trumpistan, with extreme prejudice.

[radical noodle]

27. I tend to agree...

When he speaks out, it's serious.

[pangaia]

29. We've known for a year it is serious. Where has Powell been?

[radical noodle]

30. I think a lot of Republicans thought

he'd become more presidential. We knew that was a pipe dream, but they seem to have actually thought he might see what an awesome responsibility he had when he walked into the White House.

[bdamomma]

44. remember

we have a TV celebrity con artist asshole as fake president.

[radical noodle]

45. Snake oil salesman

I don't even consider him a celebrity. He's a wannabe who thinks he's a celebrity. It was obvious that first day that he announced he was running, what a con man he was. A pox on him and most of his rotten family.

[bdamomma]

46. I just can't stand him or even

look at him. I haven't watched him being on his Asia trip either, he is not qualified and not diplomatic at all. Making an a$$ out of himself too.

[Alice11111]

36. The canaries are coming out in droves, coughing and trying to save us.

[sarcasmo]

21. Dictator Don. "I'm all that matters."

[milestogo]

23. Did he just wake up and notice?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

25. tRump suffers from the same disease as all Repugs...

if they can't see an immediate use for a government function with obvious use to business interests, they will try to gut it.

None of these people bother to study the history of why government departments, rules and regulations and even some laws were established. Most of those things were implemented because of true needs of the nation and our people.

But, they just say "why bother?".

[Hekate]

33. KnR

[Loyd]

38. Enthusiastic K&R

I still like Powell, and despise the fact that Chickenhawk Cheney used his "loyal soldier" mindset in '03.

[kentuck]

41. Better late than never, I suppose?

"Gen-er-ral Powell!"