Vice President Mike Pence, left, smiles as newly sworn in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks, March 1, 2017, in White House. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
MINNEAPOLIS – On the heels of the explosive release of Wikileaks’ “largest ever publication of confidential documents” originating from the CIA, Wikileaks editor Julian Assange recently revealed startling information regarding the intelligence community’s plans to impeach President Donald Trump and replace him with Mike Pence, his vice president.
Assange, tweeting early Tuesday morning, claimed that two intelligence officials close to Vice President Mike Pence “stated privately this month that they are planning on a Pence takeover.” However, as Assange noted, they did not say if Pence was aware of the plan or if he had agreed to it.
Perhaps more surprising was the revelation that the push for a “Pence takeover” goes beyond the intelligence community. Another tweet from Assange asserted that Hillary Clinton “stated privately this month that she is quietly pushing for a Pence takeover” as “Pence is predictable hence defeatable.” As MintPress has previously noted, a major cornerstone of Trump’s negotiation strategy and politicking is his unpredictability – a clear point of concern among U.S. establishment insiders.
Though the suggestion that such a “takeover” could be taking place may be shocking to some, it is not altogether surprising, given that the intelligence community’s hostility towards Trump has been evident for some time.
U.S. intelligence, which largely backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 election, has been connected to the numerous leaks that have caused substantial embarrassment and scandal at the White House since Trump’s ascension to the presidency — most notably, the resignation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
At the time, Trump accused the intelligence community of illegally providing information to the New York Times and the Washington Post, publications whose questionable collusion with the U.S. intelligence community has previously come under fire.
While the effort to discredit Flynn was not “directly” caused by the intelligence community, several intelligence officials have come out in recent months detailing the intelligence community’s “war” against the new president — an effort allegedly intended to result in Trump’s impeachment and, potentially, his imprisonment, according to Assange. The success of such an effort could potentially result in a Mike Pence presidency.
Interestingly, Assange’s claims of a planned takeover came after his recent criticism of Trump for giving the CIA a “blank check” to perform drone strikes on terrorists. Assange remarked that Trump’s clear concession to the CIA “signals that bullying, disloyalty & incompetence pays.”
Trump’s decision to give U.S. intelligence this kind of power seems to suggest that this may have been an attempt at appeasing an intelligence community that has been actively working to undermine his administration. Following this logic, it would seem that Trump is attempting to adopt the “Cold War 2.0” approach touted by former president Barack Obama and Trump’s former challenger Hillary Clinton in order to avoid the same fate that befell Flynn.
Some of Trump’s other behavior further supports this view, as he recently approved sending 2,500 ground troops to Syria and Iraq while also supporting the continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, policies that he previously criticized.
Despite Trump’s recent attempts to show that he can conform to the hawkish stance endemic to the “deep state,” his lack of predictability still makes his vice president a much more attractive choice for the powers that have long directed the course of U.S. policy. Compared to Trump, Pence has voiced a much more stern approach to U.S.-Russian relations, promising to hold Russia “accountable” and also supporting the intelligence community’s assertion that Russia hacked the U.S. election.
Trump, in contrast, has been reluctant to adopt these positions. In addition, Pence’s intimate involvement in Flynn’s resignation also suggests that he is more willing to work with deep state interests than the president.
However, Pence’s attractiveness to the intelligence community likely has more to do with his support for expanded war efforts, with Newsweek calling the vice president “a hawk’s hawk.” Pence has voiced support for the war in Iraq, increases in defense spending and greater U.S. intervention in Middle Eastern countries like Syria. Pence has also backed regime change in Syria, co-sponsoring a bill intended to “support a democratic transition in Syria” and to keep sanctions against the Assad government in place. Pence is also much more anti-Iran and even more pro-Israel than Trump.
Regardless of any efforts Trump may make to support the intelligence community’s warmongering foreign policy, his vice president remains a much more attractive choice for those who seek to ensure that the U.S.’ long-standing policy of imperialism, nation-building and perpetual war can continue indefinitely and without any unpredictable interruptions.
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