monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

First, that Tillerson had been fired. Second, and from earlier in time, that Tillerson had called out Russia for their near certain involvement in the Brit poisoning story. tillerson has been, so far as I know, the only senior Trump official who has spoken out about this Russian murder attempt. 

Gina Haspel, Trump’s pick for CIA director, tied to use of brutal interrogation measures

President Trump on Tuesday nominated CIA veteran Gina Haspel to be the spy agency’s next director, tapping a woman who spent multiple tours overseas and is respected by the workforce but is deeply tied to the agency’s use of brutal interrogation measures on terrorism suspects.

Haspel, 61, would become the first woman to lead the CIA if she is confirmed to succeed outgoing director Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated to serve as Secretary of State. Haspel’s selection faced immediate opposition from some lawmakers and human rights groups because of her prominent role in one of the agency’s darkest chapters.

Haspel was in charge of one of the CIA’s “black site” prisons where detainees were subjected to waterboarding and other harrowing interrogation measures widely condemned as torture.

When those methods were exposed and their legality came under scrutiny, Haspel was among a group of CIA officials involved in the decision to destroy videotapes of interrogation sessions that left some detainees on the brink of physical collapse.

Trump announced the move on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that Pompeo would move to the State Department and that Haspel would “become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!”

Jameel Jaffer, formerly deputy legal director of the ACLU, said Tuesday on his Twitter feed that Haspel is “quite literally a war criminal.”

Q. Sarah, I was hoping you could comment on news out of Great Britain today. Theresa May saying that the British government believes that Russia was behind the attempted murder and poisoning of a former spy with a nerve agent that has a Russian manufacturer. Is that the assessment of the United States government, number one?

Does the United States government plan on designating Russia as — like it did North Korea, earlier this year, regarding the murder of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother — of Russia using chemical weapons?

And, three, will there be any repercussions for Russia from the United States, in coordination with its British allies?

MS. SANDERS: Look, we’ve been monitoring the incident closely, take it very seriously. The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage. The attack was reckless, indiscriminate, and irresponsible. We offer the fullest condemnation, and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families, and our support to the UK government. We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have.

Q. So you’re not saying that Russia was behind this act?

MS. SANDERS: Right now, we are standing with our UK ally. I think they’re still working through even some of the details of that. And we’re going to continue to work with the UK, and we certainly stand with them throughout this process.

Q. Theresa May said it was either Russia using it themselves or that it had given its chemical weapons to a third party to murder a British citizen, the latter being highly unlikely, given the nature of this weapon. So —

MS. SANDERS: Like I just said, Zeke, we stand with our ally. And we certainly fully support them, and are ready if we can be of any assistance to them.

Last night, Rex Tillerson told reporters the attack “clearly” was undertaken by Russia. Then this morning Trump fired Tillerson, without any advance notice whatsoever. After that, Trump briefly appeared on the White House lawn, and when asked about the murder, said, “We will condemn Russia …or whoever it may be.”

Whoever it might be? Round up all the 400-pound guys!

Whoever it might be? Round up all the 400-pound guys!

Once again, Haspel would have been chosen/recommended to Trump by someone else. I have no idea who but this shows the relationship of somebody(s) around Trump who is/are in ideological sync with the crowd around Dick Cheney.

Quote:

Whoever it might be? Round up all the 400-pound guys!

“Maybe they’re not even Russians,” Putin told Megyn Kelly, referring to who might have been behind the election interference. “Maybe they’re Ukrainian, Tatars, Jews — just with Russian citizenship.”

US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he believes the British government's theory that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England earlier this month.

"It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all the evidence they have," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact."

Trump added: "As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be."