Elliott Abrams is like a persistent, unsightly skin condition on the body politic. In his first incarnation, he was famous for covering up the atrocities committed by our client armies in Central America—and for revenging himself on reporters who told the country the truth about what was being done in our name and with our dollars. He is, in every real sense, an atrocity denialist. He was hip-deep in the crimes of Iran-Contra and was convicted of contempt of Congress—contempt for human decency not being a felony under federal law—and then was pardoned in the cover-your-ass frenzy of President George H.W. Bush.

He surfaced again in the administration of the second President Bush and now, because the latest Republican administration is something of an open sewer, Abrams is floating by for what may be a third try at wrecking what's left of the country's reputation. Here's Tiger Beat On The Potomac missing most of the point.

Abrams's appointment has been on hold for weeks as White House officials, led by chief strategist Steve Bannon, reviewed his past criticism of Trump to determine whether he could be trusted. The last hurdle is whether Trump approves of Abrams when the men meet in person. The decision will be a test of Trump's willingness to accept members of the foreign policy establishment who opposed him. Pressure is rising on Trump to do so, as dozens of important foreign policy and national security jobs remain unfilled weeks after his inauguration.

Elliott Abrams—a convicted felon, a career bureaucratic thug, and more than half a damn war criminal—is a sop to the "foreign policy establishment." This wasn't a morally excusable hire under C-Plus Augustus, and it damn sure isn't one under this president*. What the hell does it take? A crucifix and a garlic necklace?

Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io