President Donald Trump’s “America First” administration is starting to look more like “America Second.”
This week, the White House removed conservative commentator and military veteran Daniel Davis from consideration for the post of deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration.
In the role, Davis, a retired lieutenant colonel, would have served as deputy to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — and potentially as an intelligence briefer to the president.
Why Davis Was Dropped
Davis was pulled from consideration after pressure from pro-Israel groups and lawmakers, including Senator Tom Cotton. On his YouTube channel and social media platforms, Davis has criticized Israel’s conduct in its war on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.
Davis has described Israel’s war in Gaza as “ethnic cleansing.” In addition to the massive civilian death toll, close to 70 percent of all buildings and 92 percent of all residential units have been destroyed.
The Israeli government has embraced Trump’s plan to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians and replace them with outsiders. In fact, Israel’s current envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, proposed depopulating Gaza in a 2023 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
The ‘Case’ Against Davis
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called Davis — a 21-year military veteran and double Bronze Star recipient — “extremely dangerous” because he “undermined” U.S. support for Israel.
Davis served in combat zones four times during his career: Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Iraq in 2009, and Afghanistan in 2005 and 2011.
After his last deployment in Afghanistan — during the height of the surge under General David Petraeus — Davis returned home as a whistleblower, taking great risks to expose what he believed to be top U.S. commanders misleading the public about the war.
The precipitous collapse of the Afghan government amid the U.S. withdrawal eight years later proved him right.
The Big Picture
The dropping of Davis comes as the Trump administration moves to deport U.S. green card holder Mahmoud Khalil for organizing protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. Khalil has reportedly been denied the right to speak to his lawyer.
The White House’s announcement of Khalil’s arrest began with the words, “SHALOM, MAHMOUD.”
The ADL has also backed the deportation of Khalil. However, the campaign to remove Khalil and other pro-Palestinian activists from the country is being spearheaded by a right-wing group the ADL condemns as extreme.
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