GOP leader in advisory role

“I am giving advice to counsel and the vice president. That is an added responsibility that I am more than happy to take.”

Walden spent much of his childhood on a cherry orchard in The Dalles and now lives in Hood River.

He said President-elect Donald Trump will fill 21 Cabinet posts and about 4,000 jobs for White House staff, federal attorneys, assistant and deputy secretaries, advisers and ambassadors. Speechwriters, schedulers and press secretaries also need to be hired for each federal agency.

In addition to assisting with this monumental task, Walden’s office is arranging for Oregonians to get tickets to the inauguration and planning a sight-seeing itinerary for their visit to the capitol.

“We are sort of taking on the concierge role,” said Walden.

He will be seated with other dignitaries on the platform when Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence take their respective oaths of office at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20.

Pence, who served in the House from 2001 to 2013 and then became governor of Indiana, has become a friend, said Walden.

He was also pleased with Trump’s choice of Reince Priebus for White House chief of staff. He developed a close working relationship with Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee, during the time that he was leader of the House GOP’s campaign arm.

Walden counts Ryan Zinke, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Interior, as a personal friend. Montana’s freshman representative and a former Navy SEAL commander ran for office largely on a national security platform.

Another friend is Tom Price, a six-term Republican representative from Georgia and orthopedic surgeon who has led opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Price has been named by Trump as his choice for Secretary of Health and Human Ser-vices.

Mike Pompeo, a representative from Kansas and former Army officer, is a great choice for CIA director, said Walden of this friend.

Pompeo is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton during the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic com-pound in Benghazi, Libya.

“These are quality people and there are others that I don’t know well but the confirmation hearings will provide more information about what they’ve done and said,” said Walden.

Although he does not personally know retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who has been chosen as Secretary of Defense, Walden is aware of his reputation as a tough but fair warrior. He believes Mattis will help make America more secure than it has been under the “benign foreign policy” of President Barack Obama.

“I think Obama left the world a much more volatile and dangerous place,” said Walden. “I think that’s all about to change with a clear vision for foreign policy. I think we’ll see a stronger world order and people will respect America more; we will take our leadership role once again.”

He does not envision any major problems in the confirmation process of Cabinet picks because Trump is given authority to choose his top administrators and, if they are vet-ted and determined to be qualified, then they will be approved.

The vetting process for nominations includes sub-mission of several forms and a thorough back-ground check by the FBI, which includes financial disclosure reports, criminal checks and questionnaires about ties to foreign governments.

During Senate hearings, filibusters will not be an issue because Democrats changed the rules several years ago to eliminate the 60-vote threshold for most nominations. Supreme Court selections are still subject to filibuster but other positions are decided by a simple majority vote.

Hearings are likely to start soon after the 115th Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, but nominees may not be confirmed until after Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.

“I’m optimistic about the future and I think Americans are, too, if you look at the polling data,” said Walden.

A recent Gallup poll, among others, shows U.S. investor optimism at a nine-year high. Walden said the liberal national media’s attempt to portray a huge amount of distrust among Americans for Trump’s policies is not being reflected in the stock market or polls.

“He has managed to reach beyond all the negative coverage and connect with the people,” he said. “The election showed what Americans had on their minds and Trump was listening.”

GOP leaders will work well with the new president, he said, despite the media playing up the negativism of a small handful of Republicans who op-posed him.

“When the media talked about the GOP losing seats in the House and Senate, as well as the presidency, I said, ‘Show me the data’ because I knew it wasn’t out there,” said Walden. “The negative comments made by a few got all the coverage and people were really given a distorted view.”

He announced his endorsement of Trump in May and immediately faced a backlash from Democrats and some Republicans for that decision.

“That was that and then I went on about my business,” said Walden of the situation.

He said Trump’s controversial use of social media was undeniably successful in getting his unfiltered message out to people. He expects the president-elect to continue communicating via Twitter and Face-book after he takes office.

“I think this is a wake-up call for journalists,” said Walden. “It’s new era – get used to it!”

The new administration will go to work Jan. 20 and Walden said it will be a new day in the White House with a successful businessman at the helm who has worked in the private sector and knows well how regulations can strangle economic growth.

“Trump knows how to work with people and get things done. Those are major tools in the political trade,” said Walden.