Critics of US President-elect Donald Trump are expressing concern over the appointment of Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) to head the Central Intelligence Agency. While acknowledging his expertise in national security issues and not denying the former head of the House Intelligence Committee is qualified for the job, critics of the president-elect are citing Pompeo’s outspoken support for invalidating the Iranian nuclear deal and his belief in the use of enhanced interrogation techniques as sources of concern. Nevertheless, positive comments regarding the appointment have been forthcoming from Democrats, including those made by Intelligence Committee ranking member who told the Reuters news agency that Pompeo is “someone who is willing to listen.” Meanwhile, President-elect Trump’s nominee for National Security Adviser, former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn, has been facing intense criticism in the media, being labeled by Obama loyalists as being too “hotheaded” for the position. He has also been accused – as has Trump – of being too warm and fuzzy with Moscow. Flynn accepted a paid speaking engagement as part of an anniversary celebration for “RT” – the Russian equivalent of the Voice of America. The position Flynn will fill does not require approval by the Senate. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is denying a report in The Daily Mail that the Trump transition team has confirmed his appointment as the next ambassador to Israel. If the report proves to be accurate, the US will be represented by an unabashed supporter of the Jewish state who has in the past said, “There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” Of concern to many is Huckabee’s positions on issues of extreme sensitivity to the peace process, such as his support for Israeli communities built on land Israel acquired in the 1967 war that is claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. Huckabee supports annexation of the West Bank by Israel, a position held only by Israel’s political far right wing. He tweeted that he was offered a cabinet slot that “was not the right fit.”