“This is the death of think tanks as we know them in D.C.,” one transition official told me. “The people around Trump view think tanks as for sale for the highest bidder. They have empowered whole other centers of gravity for staffing this administration.”Leaders of major think tanks don’t agree the situation is so dire. If Trump ends up shutting out think tanks, many will maintain influence by focusing more on serving Capitol Hill, industry and foreign entities. “There are lots of customers for think tanks that are beyond the West Wing and the Oval Office,” Carafano said.

Source: Washington Post January 16, 2017 00:06 UTC