title:  Is Trump Purging The Government? Team Asking For List Of Names
text: Fears of purges of personnel based on ideology have now reached the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security after a new, unusual request from the Donald Trump transition team has surfaced. The incoming Trump team is demanding a list of names for some reason.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump s transition team has asked two Cabinet departments for the names of government officials working on programs to counter violent extremism, according to a document seen by Reuters and U.S. officials.The requests to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security involve a set of programs that seek to prevent violence by extremists of any stripe, including recruitment by militant Islamist groups within the United States and abroad.Reuters could not determine why the Trump team asked for these names. The Trump team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Trump has often attacked President Obama and his team, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for not being tougher on extremists. Often this critique has included the complaint that Obama and his subordinates do not explicitly blame the Islamic faith, rather than point out how extremists deviate from mainstream Islam.It is certainly plausible that the Trump team is considering some way in which to remove those who differ from their ideology from the permanent bureaucracy once they assume power. Such a purge of those seen to be disloyal would be in line with the authoritarian mindset that Trump has so often embraced during the campaign.Trump has also issued a similar demand to the Department of Energy, asking for the names of those who worked on the Obama administration s climate change policy. The Department refused the request, and the Obama White House expressed concerns that the Trump team was trying to target civil servants like scientists and lawyers. Eventually facing bad headlines, the Trump team disavowed the purge request.Featured image via FlickrThese clowns have nothing on Obama