A behind-the-scenes attempt to thwart President Trump’s nominees during their confirmation hearing has apparently been uncovered.
But the problem goes deeper than that.
To begin with, Charlie Kirk and others raised the flag over Senator Tom Cotton’s apparent work to block the confirmation of Elbridge Colby.
The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the US Senate @SenTomCotton is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD
Colby is one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD
Why is Tom Cotton… pic.twitter.com/6pAXZkKZTw
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 16, 2025
Colby is President Trump’s pick for the Defense Undersecretary of Policy — who would then work side by side with SecDev Pete Hegseth.
President Trump made his choice known back in December, and Colby accepted the nomination pending confirmation by the Senate:
I am profoundly honored by and grateful to President @realdonaldtrump for nominating me to serve as his Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. If confirmed by the Senate, it would be an exceptional privilege to work with @petehegseth and his team to implement President Trump’s… https://t.co/tC4DIzzlqo
— Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby) December 22, 2024
Here is the full text of President Trump’s announcement upon choosing Colby for the National Security role:
I am pleased to announced a slate of America First Patriots, who will work in conjunction with our GREAT Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth!
Stephen Feinberg will serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense, and help Make the Pentagon Great Again. An extremely successful businessman, Stephen is a Princeton graduate, who founded his company, Cerberus, in 1992. In addition to his leadership at Cerberus, from 2018 to January 2021, Stephen served as Chairman of my Intelligence Advisory Board.
Elbridge “Bridge” Colby will serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. A highly respected advocate for our America First foreign and defense policy, Bridge will work closely with my outstanding Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to restore our Military power, and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. Bridge served with distinction in the Pentagon in my First Term, leading the effort on my landmark 2018 Defense strategy. He graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School, and will make an excellent addition to my team, who will, Make America Great Again!
…Michael Duffey will serve as the next Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. Mike has been a strong advocate for our Warfighters and the American Taxpayer throughout his many years of public service, including in the Department of Defense, and the Office of Management and Budget of my First Administration. Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a staunch proponent of an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base, and rebuild our Military.
Emil Michael will serve as the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Emil has lived the American Dream by building several successful Tech companies, including Uber. He served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense when he was a White House Fellow. Emil will ensure that our Military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the World, while saving A LOT of money for our Taxpayers. Emil is a graduate of Harvard University, and has a Law degree from Stanford. He is a one of the most respected leaders in the Tech business, and will be a champion for the Troops, and our Great Country.
…Keith Bass will serve as my Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Keith is a retired Navy Commander with over 30 years of Health Care experience. He has led Medical Departments in the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the White House Medical Unit. Keith will be leading the charge to ensure our Troops are healthy, and receiving the best Medical Care possible.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that Joe Kasper will serve as Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Defense. During my First Term, Joe served at the Department of Defense, where he directly supported the Secretaries of Defense, Navy, and Air Force. He was then appointed to the Department of Homeland Security as Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Senate Affairs, and later, as Senior Advisor for Strategy, Policy, and Plans. Prior to these roles, Joe spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, where he served as a Chief of Staff, and was instrumental on matters of National Defense.
Congratulations to all!
Charlie Kirk asked for ideas concerning the reasoning Sen. Cotton would have for working against President Trump’s nominees.
Several plausible reasons were offered up, these among them:
@charliekirk11 Charlie, you're spot on again Tom Cotton is just another RINO trying to sabotage President Trump's agenda. Elbridge Colby is a crucial pick to shake up the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD and put America first. We can't let the swamp win Keep exposing these traitors,…
— The Scoop (@TheScoopUS) February 16, 2025
Tom Cotton didn’t want the 2020 election fraud investigated
Dude is blackmailed or paid off, or both
Somebody needs to primary him in 2026
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) February 16, 2025
Funny way to get support in the Senate for a vote that was widely expected to go fine — despite the fight now spilling into the open
Cottons issue, I'm told, is Colby suggesting the U.S. can live with a nuclear Iran.
"Senator Cotton disagrees, opposes Iran from getting a… https://t.co/2r3eQlbRaJ
— Ben Smith (@semaforben) February 16, 2025
The three overarching reasons put forward by those three responses can be summed up as:
- Senator Cotton is a Bush/Cheney RINO, and is therefore working to protect the Bush/Cheney cabal entrenched at the DoD.
- Senator Cotton is either being blackmailed or paid off.
- Senator Cotton disagrees with Colby’s alleged assertion that the U.S. can live with a nuclear-armed Iran.
I suspect that all three of those plausible scenarios may be in effect to some degree in this instance.
Colby discussed the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, according to a report by Semafor:
A fierce behind-the-scenes argument over Donald Trump’s foreign policy is coming to a head in the nomination of Elbridge Colby as a top policy hand at the Pentagon.
Colby, who served at the Pentagon in Trump’s first term, is the most visible leader of the Republican faction that has argued against foreign intervention. Iced out of Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign for being insufficiently hawkish, Colby’s path to prominence came in the new-fashioned way: A combination of “Establishment” credentials (degrees from Harvard University and Yale Law School, and a grandfather who ran the CIA), fulsome public praise of Trump, a combative and hyperactive presence on X, and a crucial appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast.
ADVERTISEMENTColby’s broad argument is that the US is overextended and needs to reduce its commitments in Europe and the Middle East in order to ramp up its presence in Asia and avoid war with China.
In a previously unreported letter, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, an influential umbrella group, wrote to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee over “serious concerns” about the nomination among its constituents. In the letter, CEO William Daroff suggested a dozen questions for committee members to ask Colby, half of them about Iran. The letter also repeatedly cites former Fox host Tucker Carlson, whose proximity to the Trump Administration has become a sore spot due to his conversations with critics of Israel and revisionist historians.
“In a recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, you suggested that a military strike to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons lacked a ‘clear connection to American interests.’ Can you elaborate on why you believe preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is not directly tied to U.S. national interests?” reads one question.
While that gives credence to the third possible reasoning Sen. Cotton could have for pushing back against Colby’s confirmation to the National Security establishment, there are two remaining scenarios which seem equally involved.
And that information is confirmed, though circumstantially at best, through the recent light shed on the corrupt organization… USAID.
According to the highly informational X account @DataRepublican, there are massive connections between Sen. Cotton and USAID.
I’ll clarify this for you, @charliekirk11.
Senator Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) serves as a Director at the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of eight core NGOs aligned with the political establishment. While IRI is closely tied to the Republican Party, its agenda and… https://t.co/gY6r846Pb3 pic.twitter.com/EJl7Q9KGIr
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) February 16, 2025
Here is the full text of the X post by @DataRepublican for easier viewing:
I’ll clarify this for you, @charliekirk11
Senator Tom Cotton ( @SenTomCotton ) serves as a Director at the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of eight core NGOs aligned with the political establishment. While IRI is closely tied to the Republican Party, its agenda and interests fundamentally conflicts with President Trump’s policies.
Funded primarily by taxpayers, IRI received $130,689,289 last year, much of it from USAID. Though Senator Cotton is unpaid for his board role, the organization directs substantial public funds toward expenditures like travel ($12,173,741) and pensions and fringe benefits ($14,232,108).
As I’ve noted before, IRI has funded refugee resettlement through grants to the UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration and has backed other progressive initiatives.
ADVERTISEMENTAnyone affiliated with IRI is advancing the interests of the global elite, not the priorities of U.S. citizens or Republican constituents—unless they choose to resign from the IRI.
Here’s the graphic shared by @DataRepublican listing the position held by Tom Cotton in the progressive IRI USAID NGO:
If you looked just a few names above and below Senator Tom Cotton, you’ll see at least a few more familiar names, including Lindsey Graham.
Here’s a breakdown of the money that IRI handles, as a result of USAID funding:
It isn’t all that surprising to find out that the same corrupt federal agency funneling millions into progressive democratic pocketbooks…
Is funneling millions into RINO pocketbooks, as well.
It is possible that Sen. Tom Cotton’s behind-the-scenes work against President Trump’s nominees is simply on some point of policy.
But confronted with the MILLIONS of dollars being funneled through the IRI, and the conspicuous inclusion of Tom Cotton in the IRI NGO…
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the most likely scenario is the simplest — Tom Cotton is bought and paid by the CIA’s funding mechanism, USAID.
Just another reason for DOGE to shut it down… and pray for PRIMARY SEASON!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!