Screaming matches, physical confrontations, and storming out of the White House. These are just some of the stories circulating about chief of staff John Kelly, who faces fresh speculation about his future with President Trump.
Rumors about Kelly’s future with the Trump administration have simmered for months and new allegations about his demeanor and behavior in the West Wing have thrust the retired Marine Corps general back into the spotlight.
Kelly’s defenders say the leaks from the White House are part of a larger strategy by disgruntled officials and former aides designed to end his tenure while opponents insist Kelly is unsuited to be White House chief of staff.
“The leakers have tried everything to impact Gen. Kelly’s longevity in the White House,” Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign aide, said. “Demeanor is the next step. After this, it might be his choice of suits and ties and after that, how his shoes are shined too brightly. It’s just the steady stream of opponents of the general’s trying to impact his longevity.”
According to the several reports, Kelly and John Bolton, the national security adviser, engaged in a screaming match about immigration outside the Oval Office on Thursday morning. Kelly was said to have left the White House complex after the dispute and did not come back for the remainder of the day.
This week, anonymous sources revealed that Kelly tangled with Corey Lewandowski, former Trump campaign manager and an informal adviser to the president, during an argument in February. According to The New York Times, Kelly grabbed Lewandowski by his collar and tried to push him up against a wall after calling someone to remove Lewandowski from the West Wing.
…….
Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, downplayed the reports of altercations, saying they were overblown. “There’s always battles within the White House and in different factions in any White House. I think this White House gets magnified more because they are subject to the media scrutiny 24/7,” O’Connell said. “There’s always going to be someone in the White House who is unhappy no matter who is in charge.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Kelly, acting on a request from Trump, agreed to stay on as chief of staff through the 2020 election. O’Connell said the fact that Trump asked Kelly to stick around through the next presidential election “tells you that he has done, at least in the president’s eyes, a good job.”
And Caputo said the inside information about Kelly flowing to the press likely won’t affect his departure and there are no indications he will be fired by Trump, who is more comfortable with discord and friction between aides than other presidents.
“I think Gen. Kelly will leave the White House when he’s damn good and ready,” he said. “And the president has made it very clear that he’s just fine with that.”
- Discussion
-
Screaming matches, physical confrontations, and storming out of the White House.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 25, 2018
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.