#StaffTheSwamp: Anti-Establishment Trump Choosing Establishment Staff

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This is a guest post by ClimateDenierRoundup

By now, we all know that despite his supposedly populist sentiment, Trump is being advised by some of DCโ€™s longest-serving insiders, including ย 20-year House Rep. Newt Gingrich and disgraced Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. And Politico has aย coupleย greatย looksย about all the DC power brokers and other elites jockeying for positions in Trumplandia. RNC chair Preibus is considered to be a prime candidate for Chief of Staff, while former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin is being considered for Treasury Secretary. Because Hillary giving speeches to Goldman Sachs executives is damning, but giving one the Treasury Department isย populist.

Nowย PoliticoPRO hasย an organizational chart for Trumpโ€™s transition, and by looking at all the lobbyists and beltway insiders, one would be forgiven for assuming his last campaign catchphrase was #StaffTheSwamp. Apparently Trumpโ€™s plan to #DrainTheSwamp entails pulling all the swamp things out of the water, and into the Whiteย House.

Homeland Security transition is being led by tobacco giant Altriaโ€™s Cindy Hayden. Leading labor is Steve Hart, chairman of Williams & Jensen, who represents small businesses like Coca-Cola, General Electric, HSBC, and VISA. The agricultural sector is being managed by Michael Torrey, who represents lilโ€™ olโ€™ American Beverageย Association.

But what about our core issues of environment and energy? For the Energy Department, Trumpโ€™s taking advice from Michael McKenna, who works for MWR Strategies, which represents the chemical giant Dow, the Kochs, and coal giant Southern Company. Itโ€™s been reported for months now thatย fracking magnate Harold Hammย is in the lead for Secretary ofย Energy.

For Interior, if Trump doesnโ€™t give the position to Trump Jr. (because what did we overthrow British rule for, if not nepotism?) then it may go to Forrest Lucas, co-founder of Lucasย Oil.

And for the EPA transition, Trump has tapped none other than Myron Ebell. He not only works for CEI, which isย funded by Exxon, the Kochs, big tobacco and other industries, but also directed theย Cooler Heads Coalition, which was more or less a front group for Koch frontย groups.

Ebellโ€™s got quite a history of meddling at the highest level.ย Back in the George W. Bush administration, he was contacted to help suppress climate research coming from the government, and suggested then-EPA head Christine Todd Whitman be fired for allowing the EPA to commit the mortal sin of releasing a report about the reality and dangers of climate change. Now he gets to present to Trump candidates to choose from, which should cut down on the need for Ebell to have them fired in the future. (Assuming he doesnโ€™t take the job himself, which is rumored that heย might.)

Seems like Trumpโ€™s commitment to being anti-establishment is as serious as his commitment to hisย wives.

Image credit: DC swamp by Michael via Flickr CCย 2.0

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