General John Kelly – A New Sheriff is in the West Wing

Just days ago President Trump announced that he had named retired General John Kelly as chief of staff. Many believe the much respected former Director of Homeland Security will establish order in what has been a chaotic White House so the President can move on with his agenda.

One phrase being repeated around Washington describes hopes for Kelly’s appointment best – there’s a new sheriff in town.

Blain Rethmeier, who guided Kelly through the Senate confirmation process for the Homeland Security post said, “It definitely has the fingerprints of a new sheriff in town.” Rethmeier said that what stood out about Kelly during the time they worked together was the way Kelly commanded respect from everyone he encountered — and the way he respected others.

It won’t be an easy job, however, for Kelly. He faces a West Wing that resembles the chaos of Bill Clinton’s first term. Kelly’s first order of business was to fire communications director Anthony Scaramucci. After only 11 days in that position, Scaramucci managed to torpedo himself and cause problems for the president with his foul-mouthed diatribe about fellow staffers to the media.

General Kelly took command of the White House staff on day one by moving swiftly to impose order on a West Wing gripped for weeks by infighting.

The White House put out word that the retired four-star general has free rein to tighten the chain of command.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kelly “has the full authority to carry out business as he sees fit” and that all White House staffers will report to him, including powerful aides such as Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, her husband, Jared Kushner, and chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Kelly “will bring new structure, discipline, and strength” to the White House, she said.

Senator Bob Corker (Rep. – TN) said Monday that he discussed Kelly’s appointment with Trump and hopes Kelly “will do everything possible to bring the appropriate discipline and focus that needs to be at the White House there.”

“I hope that Gen. Kelly will absolutely, forcefully clean the place up,” Corker said. “And anybody who’s been a violator, who’s been a part of public backbiting, part of undermining, who’s been part of feathering their own nest at other people’s expense, I hope they’ll all be gone.”

Kelly gained a reputation as an outspoken commander who didn’t shy away from unpopular opinions during his military career. Rethmeier said that Kelly also respects authority deeply — “and that’s something that Trump sort of smells out, if you respect him or not.”

“If he disagrees with you, he’ll disagree respectfully,” Rethmeier said.

Kelly made that clear during his confirmation hearing as Director of Homeland Security in January.

“I have never had a problem speaking truth to power, and I firmly believe that those in power deserve full candor and my honest assessment and recommendations. I also value people that work for me speaking truth to power,” he said.

In April, Kelly challenged members of Congress who were critical of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement to either change the laws or “shut up.”

Numerous trusted sources have reported that Kelly is fiercely loyal to the president but unafraid to stand toe to toe with him. On his first day as chief of staff, the hard-nosed retired general demanded to speak to the president alone after Trump complained that the U.S. was admitting travelers from countries he viewed as high risk.

Kelly explained to Trump that the admissions were standard practice and some people had legitimate reasons to visit the country. It was an early indication that Kelly, a decorated retired Marine general who served three tours in Iraq, is not afraid to stand up to his commander-in-chief.

During Bill Clinton’s first term, Leon Panetta was asked to leave a job directing the Office of Management and Budget to become chief of staff at a difficult moment one year into his term. His task – whip a chaotic West Wing into shape.

“I had seen the kind of disruption at the White House and wanted to remain OMB director,” Panetta recalled. “I’ll never forget what Clinton said. He said, ‘You know, you could be the greatest OMB director in the history of the country, but if the White House is falling apart, nobody’s going to remember you.”

General Kelly is the man to do the same for his boss.

~ American Liberty Report

 


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