特朗普继续快速提名 埃隆·马斯克将共同领导“政府效率”工作
【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·特朗普周二开始组建他的外交政策团队，宣布他提名福克斯新闻主持人和陆军老兵皮特·赫格塞斯担任国防部长，前国家情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫领导中央情报局。美联社记者ZEKE MILLER、MICHELLE L. PRICE 和 JILL COLVIN 对此作了下述报道。
在一系列公告中，特朗普表示，他已选择前阿肯色州州长迈克·赫卡比担任驻以色列大使，并任命他的老朋友史蒂文·威特科夫担任中东特使。特朗普还表示，他将提名南达科他州州长克里斯蒂·诺姆 (Kristi Noem) 担任国土安全部部长，并任命他第一届政府的内阁部长比尔·麦金利 (Bill McGinley) 担任白宫法律顾问。
与此同时，特朗普表示，他将任命埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk) 和维韦克·拉马斯瓦米 (Vivek Ramaswamy) 领导“政府效率部”，简称“DOGE”。
特朗普在社交媒体帖子中表示，没有这样的联邦部门；两人将在政府之外提供“建议和指导”。他说，他们将与白宫官员合作“推动大规模结构改革”。
这个名字是对马斯克对加密货币狗狗币 (Dogecoin) 的热爱的致敬，狗狗币的吉祥物是一只柴犬。
“这两位出色的美国人将为我的政府拆除政府官僚机构、削减过多监管、削减浪费性支出和重组联邦机构铺平道路，”特朗普说。
特朗普正在为即将上任的政府推出一系列任命和提名人选，到目前为止，他们的工作节奏更快，没有像他在 2016 年获胜后的第一次过渡那样戏剧性。他选择了缺乏高级军事或国家安全经验的赫格塞斯，这肯定会引发人们对他是否有资格领导该部门的质疑。
现年 44 岁的赫格塞斯是福克斯新闻频道“福克斯与朋友周末”的联合主持人，自 2014 年以来一直是该频道的撰稿人，在那里他与经常出现在节目中的特朗普建立了友谊。
如果得到参议院的批准，他将在一系列全球危机期间接任这一最高职位——从俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争和伊朗代理人在中东的持续袭击，到推动以色列、哈马斯和真主党之间的停火，以及对俄罗斯和朝鲜之间日益增长的联盟的担忧不断升级。
赫格塞斯也是今年早些时候出版的《对战士的战争：背叛让我们自由的人的背后》一书的作者。
根据宣传，这本书结合了“他自己的战争经历、愤怒的故事，以及对指挥链如何变得如此扭曲的深刻观察”，并自称是“拯救我们的战士——以及赢得未来战争的关键”。
虽然五角大楼被认为是任何政府中令人垂涎的关键职位，但在特朗普的第一任期内，国防部长是一个动荡的职位。在他任职的四年里，有五个人担任这个职位，但最终辞职、被解雇或短暂担任权宜之计。其中只有两人得到了参议院的批准。
特朗普在那些年里与他的文职和军事领导人的关系充满了紧张、困惑和沮丧，因为他们努力缓和甚至只是简单地解释总统的推文和声明，这些推文和声明让他们措手不及，他们没有准备好解释或辩护这些突然的政策决定。许多在他第一届政府中工作的将军——无论是现役还是退役——都抨击他不适合在椭圆形办公室任职，他也对他们进行了谴责。
赫格塞斯曾是陆军国民警卫队的一名步兵上尉，曾在阿富汗、伊拉克和古巴关塔那摩湾服役。他曾是美国关心退伍军人组织的负责人，该组织由保守派亿万富翁查尔斯和大卫·科赫支持，他于 2012 年竞选明尼苏达州参议员，但没有成功。
“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，”特朗普在一份声明中说。“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。”
战略与国际研究中心高级顾问马克·坎西安表示，赫格塞斯“作为一名初级军官有着出色的背景，但没有国防部长所需要的高级国家安全经验”。 “我认为特朗普厌倦了与他的国防部长争斗，并选择了一位忠于他的部长。” 坎西安说，缺乏经验可能会使赫格塞斯更难通过参议院的确认。
诺姆是一位著名的保守派人士，曾任国会议员，她利用自己两届任期领导一个州，在共和党政坛中占据了显赫地位。她本人被认为是潜在的总统候选人，但拒绝挑战特朗普。相反，她公开竞选副总统，但特朗普选择 JD Vance 作为竞选搭档后，她失去了这一机会。
如果得到确认，诺姆将领导一个机构，而该机构是特朗普全面移民计划的核心，也是他竞选时誓言大规模驱逐非法移民的核心。据估计，美国有 1100 万人非法移民。
国土安全部是一个庞大的机构，拥有 26 万名员工，是在 9·11 袭击事件后成立的，职责范围广泛。它由 22 个不同的机构拼凑而成，肩负着防止未来袭击的重任，人们不断建议它过于笨重，应该拆分。
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间谍机构。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。哈克比有意提名他，正值特朗普承诺将美国外交政策与以色列的利益更紧密地结合起来之际。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，特朗普正是在这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俄罗斯情报而受到民主党人的批评，据称俄罗斯情报在 2016 年大选期间提供了对民主党不利的信息，尽管他承认这可能不是真的。
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，拉特克利夫说：“这是我们国家有史以来最薄弱、最快、最无力的弹劾。”他还对前特别检察官罗伯特·穆勒在众议院司法委员会作证时就俄罗斯干预 2016 年大选一事进行了有力质询。
“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。“他将为所有美国人的宪法权利而无畏奋斗，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”。
威特科夫也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时，威特科夫一直陪伴在身边。
特朗普的过渡团队没有透露有关中东特使角色的细节，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。”
选择威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) 为国际谈判特别代表，并依靠女婿贾里德·库什纳 (Jared Kushner) 作为他在该地区谈判中的个人特使。
米勒在华盛顿报道，科尔文在纽约报道。华盛顿的洛丽塔·C·鲍尔多 (Lolita C. Baldor)、丽贝卡·桑塔纳 (Rebecca Santana) 和塔拉·科普 (Tara Copp) 对本文亦有贡献。
题图：皮特·赫格塞斯。Evan Vucci/美联社
附原英文报道：
Trump continues fast-paced nominations, with Hegseth as defense secretary, Noem at homeland security. And Elon Musk will co-lead effort on ‘government efficiency’
By ZEKE MILLER, MICHELLE L. PRICE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press,Updated November 12, 2024
Pete Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth.Evan Vucci/Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump moved to build out his foreign policy team Tuesday, announcing he is nominating Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
In a flurry of announcements, Trump 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. Trump also said he would nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to run the Department of Homeland Security and named Bill McGinley, his Cabinet secretary in his first administration, as his White House counsel.
Meanwhile, Trump said he’s naming Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or “DOGE.”
There’s no such federal department; the two will work from outside the government to provide “advice and guidance,” Trump said in a social media post. He said they’ll work with White House officials to “drive large scale structural reform.”
The name is a nod to Musk’s love for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin whose mascot is a Shiba Inu.
“These two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said.
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. His selection of Hegseth, who lacks senior military or national security experience, was sure to draw questions about his qualifications to lead the department.
Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year.
The book, according to its promo, combines “his own war experiences, tales of outrage, and an incisive look at how the chain of command got so kinked,” and bills itself as “the key to saving our warriors — and winning future wars.”
While the Pentagon is considered a key coveted post in any administration, the defense secretary was a tumultuous post during Trump’s first term. Five men held the job during his four years only to resign, be fired or serve briefly as a stopgap. Just two of them were actually confirmed by the Senate.
Trump’s relationship with his civilian and military leaders during those years was fraught with tension, confusion and frustration, as they struggled to temper or even simply interpret presidential tweets and pronouncements that blindsided them with abrupt policy decisions they weren’t prepared to explain or defend. Many of the generals who worked in his first administration — both on active duty and retired — have slammed him as unfit to serve in the Oval Office and he has condemned them in return.
Hegseth was an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, and he unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012.
“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.”
Hegseth has “an excellent background as a junior officer but does not have the senior national security experience that secretaries need,” said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think Trump was tired of fighting with his secretaries of defense and picked one who would be loyal to him.” Cancian said the lack of experience might make it more difficult for Hegseth to get through Senate confirmation.
Noem is a well-known conservative and former member of Congress who used her two terms leading a state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. She was considered a potential presidential contender herself, but declined to challenge Trump. She instead launched an overt pitch to be selected vice president but lost that nod when Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate.
If confirmed, Noem would head an agency that is at the center of Trump’s sweeping immigration plans and his campaign vow to carry out mass deportations of immigrants in the United States illegally. There are an estimated 11 million people in the country illegally.
The Department of Homeland Security is a sprawling agency of 260,000 employees created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks with a vast area of responsibility. It was patched together from 22 various agencies with the weighty task of preventing future attacks and is the subject of constant suggestions that it is too unwieldy and should be broken up.
Ratcliffe, a former Republican congressman from Texas, 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.
Miller reported from Washington and Colvin reported from New York. Lolita C. Baldor, Rebecca Santana and Tara Copp in Washington contributed.
