【中美创新时报2024 年 11 月 12 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）当选总统唐纳德·特朗普将提名福克斯新闻主持人兼陆军老兵皮特·赫格塞斯担任国防部长。美联社记者ZEKE MILLER 和 MICHELLE L. PRICE 对此作了下述报道。
佛罗里达州西棕榈滩（美联社）——当选总统唐纳德·特朗普周二表示，他提名福克斯新闻主持人兼陆军老兵皮特·赫格塞斯担任国防部长。
在加入福克斯新闻之前，赫格塞斯曾被派往伊拉克和阿富汗，并于 2012 年竞选明尼苏达州参议员，但未获成功。
特朗普在一份声明中表示：“在皮特的领导下，美国的敌人已经注意到了——我们的军队将再次伟大，美国永远不会退缩。” “没有人比他更努力地为军队而战，皮特将成为我们‘以实力求和平’政策的勇敢爱国拥护者。”
这是突发新闻更新。美联社的早期报道如下。
佛罗里达州西棕榈滩（美联社）——当选总统唐纳德·特朗普周二宣布，他提名前国家情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫领导中央情报局。他还表示，他已选择前阿肯色州州长迈克·赫卡比担任驻以色列大使，并选择他的老朋友史蒂文·威特科夫担任中东特使。
在一系列公告中，特朗普还任命他第一届政府的内阁部长比尔·麦金利为白宫法律顾问。
特朗普正在为即将上任的政府推出一系列任命和提名人，到目前为止，工作速度更快，而且没有像他在 2016 年获胜后的第一次过渡那样戏剧性。
拉特克利夫曾是德克萨斯州的共和党众议员，在特朗普第一任期的最后几个月担任国家情报局局长，在新冠疫情期间领导美国政府的情报机构。与特朗普支持者推举的一些传闻中的忠诚派相比，他是这个需要参议院批准的职位更传统的人选。
哈克比是坚定的以色列捍卫者，特朗普承诺将美国的外交政策与以色列的利益更紧密地结合起来，因为以色列正在与加沙的哈马斯和黎巴嫩的真主党作战。威特科夫是佛罗里达州的一名房地产投资者，目前担任特朗普就职委员会主席。他还曾在纽约房地产界工作过一段时间，特朗普正是在那里首次以公众人物的身份崭露头角。
作为情报局局长，拉特克利夫因在 2020 年总统大选的最后几天解密了俄罗斯情报，声称这些情报在 2016 年大选期间对民主党不利，尽管他承认这可能不是真的，但遭到民主党人的批评。
拉特克利夫在 2019 年众议院首次对特朗普进行弹劾程序期间成为特朗普的坚定捍卫者，他的知名度随之上升。他是特朗普弹劾顾问团队的成员，并在弹劾听证会期间严厉质询证人。
在民主党控制的众议院投票弹劾特朗普后，拉特克利夫表示：“这是我们国家有史以来最薄弱、最快、最无力的弹劾。” 当前特别顾问罗伯特·穆勒在众议院司法委员会就俄罗斯干预 2016 年大选的调查作证时，他还严厉质询了穆勒。
“我期待约翰成为有史以来第一位同时担任我们国家最高情报职位的人，”特朗普在一份声明中说。“他将无畏地为所有美国人的宪法权利而战，同时确保最高级别的国家安全，并通过实力实现和平。”
多年来，哈克比一直带领付费旅游团访问以色列，并经常在保守派新闻媒体上宣传这些旅行。
“多年来，迈克一直是一位出色的公务员、州长和宗教领袖，”特朗普在一份声明中说。“他爱以色列，以色列人民，同样，以色列人民也爱他。迈克将不懈努力，实现中东和平！”
曾在特朗普第一任期内担任驻以色列大使的戴维·弗里德曼表示，他对特朗普选择哈克比感到“激动”。
威特科夫还是这位当选总统的高尔夫球友，9 月，在佛罗里达州西棕榈滩的高尔夫俱乐部，特朗普第二次遭到暗杀，威特科夫也陪伴在侧。
特朗普的过渡团队没有透露有关中东特使一职的细节，但特朗普在一份声明中表示，“史蒂夫将坚定不移地为和平发声，让我们所有人都感到自豪。”
选择维特科夫遵循了特朗普的一贯做法，即让亲近的人担任中东事务的关键角色。八年前，他任命前公司律师杰森·格林巴尔特 (Jason Greenbaltt) 为其国际谈判特别代表，并依靠女婿贾里德·库什纳 (Jared Kushner) 担任其在该地区谈判的私人特使。
题图：皮特·赫格塞斯。Evan Vucci/美联社
附原英文报道：
Trump nominates Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary
By ZEKE MILLER and MICHELLE L. PRICE The Associated Press,Updated November 12, 2024
Pete Hegseth.Evan Vucci/Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is nominating Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary.
Hegseth deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement. “Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is nominating former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. He also said he had chosen former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel and his longtime friend Steven Witkoff to be a special envoy to the Middle East.
In a flurry of announcements, Trump also named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.
Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.
A former Republican congressman from Texas, Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. He is a more traditional pick for the role, which requires Senate confirmation, than some rumored loyalists pushed by some of Trump’s supporters.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel, and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Witkoff is a Florida real estate investor who is serving as a chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. He also spent time in the world of New York real estate, where Trump first made his mark as a public figure.
As intelligence director, Ratcliffe was criticized by Democrats for declassifying in the final days of the 2020 presidential election Russian intelligence alleging damaging information about Democrats during the 2016 race even though he acknowledged it might not be true.
Ratcliffe’s visibility rose as he emerged in 2019 as an ardent defender of Trump during the House’s first impeachment proceedings against him. He was a member of Trump’s impeachment advisory team and strenuously questioned witnesses during the impeachment hearings.
After the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, Ratcliffe said, “This is the thinnest, fastest and weakest impeachment our country has ever seen.” He also forcefully questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller when he testified before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
Huckabee has led paid tour group visits to Israel for years, frequently advertising the trips on conservative-leaning news outlets.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
David Friedman, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Israel in his first term, said he was “thrilled” by Trump’s selection of Huckabee.
Witkoff is also the president-elect’s golf partner and was with him when he was the target of a second assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September.
Trump’s transition team did not offer details about the Middle East envoy role, but Trump said in a statement, “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”
The selection of Witkoff follows a pattern for Trump in putting people close to him in pivotal roles on the Middle East portfolio. Eight years ago he appointed his former corporate attorney Jason Greenbaltt as his special representative for international negotiations and relied on his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as his personal envoy in talks in the region.
