One of the least understood aspects of congressional oversight is the elite group of elected politicians who are charged with congressional oversight over all intelligence activity. This highly important oversight group is called the Intelligence Community “Gang of Eight”.

A position within the Gang of Eight comes as a result of holding one of the following eight positions: 1. The Speaker of the House, 2. The Minority Leader of the House, 3. the Majority Leader of the Senate, 4. the Minority Leader of the Senate, 5. the Chairperson of the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence, 6. the minority leader from the same committee; 7. The Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee and 8. the minority leader of the same committee.

With Senator Marco Rubio being pulled out of the Senate to work as Secretary of State, we have been waiting to see who would be appointed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune to be the Rubio replacement as Senate Intel Committee Chair and Go8 member. It now looks like Sea Island attendee Tom Cotton will take up position as SSCI Chair and Gang of Eight member.

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Republicans have discussed elevating Sen. John Cornyn to chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to party officials, a move that would hand Cornyn a prized gavel as consolation for losing his GOP leader bid and could help induce him to run for reelection in two years.

The complication, and almost certain deal-breaker: Cornyn would have to leapfrog the Republican next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Cotton has privately made clear to Cornyn he would claim the position.

Likely ensuring Cotton’s ascension to the chair is the raw politics of last month’s Senate Republican leadership race between Cornyn and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). A select rather than standing committee, the intelligence panel’s chair is chosen by the majority leader. And Cotton supported Thune on the private ballot, according to a third Senate Republican, and now Thune is poised to reward him rather than the man he defeated.

A spokesperson for Thune declined to comment.

Asked if he expects to claim the gavel, Cotton on Tuesday said, “No comment.”

On Tuesday night, Cotton spokeswoman Caroline Tabler said: “Senator Thune has told Senator Cotton he’s taking over as chair. He is hiring staff, working with Senator [Marco] Rubio (R-Fla.) on the transition, and planning with Senator [Mark] Warner (D-Va.) for January confirmation hearings.”

A Cornyn representative declined to comment.

But I’m told the Arkansan has already started hiring staff and refused to be coaxed into letting Cornyn take the chair, which will be open because of Rubio’s appointment as Secretary of State. Cornyn approached Cotton to take his temperature about the post last month after the leader race, I’m told by a Republican senator, and Cotton responded by saying: “I’m going to be the chairman.” (READ MORE)

In March of 2016 an exclusive list of politicians, top tech executives, billionaires, donors and influence agents gathered at a secretive meeting with key leaders of the Washington DC UniParty.  The meeting was to discuss their plans to destroy Donald Trump.  The meeting took place at the exclusive enclave in Sea Island Georgia.

Over time almost every single member of the Sea Island Group who attended that weekend meeting, have detonated themselves in an effort to try and take down President Trump.  Just as the axiom ‘never trust a never Trumper’ has been proven true repeatedly, so too is the sentiment ‘just wait, if they attended Sea Island, they will eventually expose their intent to destroy Trump.’  [READ HERE]

Cornyn and Cotton debate SSCI leadership.