CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN KELLY IS FINALLY, ACTUALLY LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE

…A regular position of the Chief-0f-Staff when dealing with Donald Trump

Few people have volunteered to take on Donald Trump as his Chief of Staff.

It is finally time to retire the “Chief of Staff, John Kelly will be departing the White House,” statement that we have been hearing for almost a year.

The reality is that last Friday, the Chief of Staff (COS) did not show up at his office in the White House.  On Saturday, he showed up and apparently worked out with Trump, his announcement for leaving his position.

It was not supposed to be announced until yesterday, Monday morning.  But as usual, instead of it being an official statement from the White House, Trump told reporters on the White House lawn Saturday morning that the retired Marine Corps general will be exiting the White House by the end of the year.

Kelly's heir apparent, was supposed to be Vice President Pence’s COS, Nick Ayers.

But on Sunday, it became apparent that Mr. Ayers didn’t want what has become a dead-end job being Trump’s COS.  The Wall Street Journal first reported the news that Ayers would also be exiting, along with Kelly, from the administration by the new year.  

Just look at what the next COS will have to deal with in the Trump White House: House Democrats with subpoena power; then there’s the Mueller probe; add a new issue of a potentially flagging economy; and of course, the beginnings of a 2020 re-election campaign.

Neither Kelly, nor his predecessor, Reince Priebus, were able to persistently keep order in the White House by managing an impulsive president.  A president predisposed to massive chaos, and a politically ignorant chief executive who only relies on his base instincts or “his gut”.  

Here are those that have been listed as the possible replacements of General Kelly:

Mark Meadows:  “ Mr. Meadows, for instance, could still aid Mr. Trump in the coming political battle with congressional leaders, despite his own frayed relationships on Capitol Hill.  Weeks ago, Mr. Trump started asking people what they would think of Mr. Meadows, a fierce supporter of the president, as a chief of staff, before moving on to Mr. Ayers,” this was per the New York Times (NYT).

This North Carolina congressman is co-chair of the very hard-line House Freedom Caucus. But he would also find himself suddenly in the minority when Republicans cede the House majority in January.   His insider knowledge of how Congress works, given Democrats' apparent investigatory zeal, could certainly be helpful.  On the other hand, he's been one of the most outspoken voices against Trump's tariffs.

One would think Meadows is too smart to get himself in a hair pulling position as COS to Trump.  He has also made a number of enemies in congress as his co-chair of the Freedom Caucus constantly puts him at odds with more conventional conservatives.

The position of chief of staff was once a revered position, but as others have learned, it could amount to political suicide under President Trump.  Meadows would have to relinquish his position in the GOP Conference, not to mention his seat in Congress, for a job that would likely be his last in politics.  With allegations of collusion, corruption and campaign finance violations haunting the president, the job might quickly turn very dirty.  A challenging feat for a man who at times seems to be sensitive to his own reputation.

The president’s COS position is becoming a job that few people have put up their hand in volunteering to take on Donald Trump.

Robert Lighthizer: Trump's US trade representative, a China hard-liner, he was just tapped by Trump to lead trade negotiations with Beijing.  This is creating a “reluctance to move Lighthizer into the role because he is integral to negotiations with China over trade, " The Post reports. 

Matt Whitaker: The current acting attorney general has received criticism for publicly stating his opposition to the Russia investigation, a position that only helps his standing and chances with Trump.  He attended the Army-Navy football game on Saturday with Trump and other top aides.

However, Trump didn't seem happy with the backlash to Whitaker's installment as acting AG. The president last week announced he is nominating William Barr, a former AG under George H.W. Bush, to the permanent role.  Whitaker's background might not withstand prolonged scrutiny.  The House and Senate Democrats released a letter last week asking why Whitaker's ethics review was still incomplete over a year after joining the Justice Department. The Post has also reported extensively on Whitaker's involvement with a potentially fraudulent business against which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a complaint.

Mick Mulvaney: The former South Carolina congressman juggling his job as director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  He is well-liked and a favorite among White House staff.  

Mulvaney, who was under consideration to replace Kelly at the beginning of the year after Kelly allowed then-staff secretary Rob Porter to stay in the White House following accusations of domestic violence.  He has strong ties to the Hill and he also fiercely defended Trump's budget policy. I think Mulvaney is another one that is too smart and I doubt that he would actually want the job. 

Dave Bossie: “ . . . some Trump supporters were pushing for David Bossie, the deputy campaign manager in 2016,” reports the NYT’s.  Bossie, also a staunch Trump loyalist who has a long-running relationship with the president and has the added benefit of experience waging investigative warfare against the Clinton administration in the 90s. 

Chris Christie: “Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who as a onetime United States attorney could help Mr. Trump in an impeachment fight, was also being mentioned,” per NYT’s. 

Christie is a Wildcard as a former White House staffer suggested that a Trump ally like Christie “ has nothing to lose, is older, and independently wealthy” he might be best suited to replace Kelly. 

The other question to ask is “Who will now replace Ayers as Pence's COS?” 

The point is that many of the large group of contenders had sent out smoke signals by the hour on Sunday night.  They all said that they were not interested in the job.  This is as the reality of being able to successfully manage the unmanageable has seriously set in:  

“Another senior administration official said that Mulvaney and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have both expressed internally that they aren’t seeking the job but could change their minds if Trump pleads with them,” The Post reported.  

I think that the inept Steven Muchin wouldn’t last a week in the COS job.

Then quickly, on Sunday night, Politico’s Nancy Cook reported that Mulvaney, Mnuchin and Lighthizer had taken themselves out of the running.  

Outside of hiring a warm body, I think that Trump is so smug that he probably won’t even look for his third COS.  Some comments from the president suggest that he’s leanings toward “simply picking someone he personally likes,” this is per the NYT’s.. 

What is ironic is that Trump had hired Kelly because he said the Marine general could bring order to the White House.  However, in recent months, Trump hasn’t been talking to Kelly and guess who he’s been talking to about COS questions?  Trump has been calling Reince Priebus, his former COS, and he calls him on a daily basis.  

Here’s the latest from The Post: “In recent times, the president has often spent only six or seven hours in the Oval Office daily, instead preferring to be in the residence, where he can do as he pleases. Kelly told others that the less time Trump spent in the Oval Office, the better.”

As an example, for yesterday, Trump didn't have anything on his schedule except lunch with VP, Pence.

And to make his day, I’m sure he was watching the TV when his old FBI Director, James Comey was being interviewed  and he was saying “If Trump were not president, he would be in serious jeopardy of being charged by the Justice Department."  This is based on statements from the Southern District New York State Federal Court and inputs from the Mueller investigation.

As the special counsel’s investigation racks up indictments, and with evidence of contact between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign that is mounting, the administration’s allies are trying to rally to his defense.

Making the rounds on the Sunday shows, top Republicans were “brushing aside new court filings that detail previously unreported contacts between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign and directly implicate the president in plans to buy women’s silence,” reported The Post.

“We’re going to become a banana republic, where every president gets prosecuted and every president gets thrown in jail when they’re done with office,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on NBC New’s “Meet the Press”, warning against the aggressive prosecution of campaign finance violations like the ones of which Michael Cohen is accused.

Paul added there was nothing improper about Trump’s pursuit of building a hotel in Moscow during the 2016 campaign. “This is pretty common, and I see no problem with someone running for president trying to build a hotel somewhere,” he said, even though experts note the complexity and possible illegal issues of Trump’s business dealings which is very unusual.

From Trump’s ’Little Marco Rubio’: “There’s no reason to not stand by anybody in this moment.” That was Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” emphasizing “the right of someone to argue that the evidence is not what you say it is.”

As to Trump’s supporters this last weekend.  Per The Post’s, Robert Costa and Philip Rucker: “The White House is looking to its hard-right supporters on Capitol Hill to serve as its political flank, in particular House Republicans such as [Meadows], Jim Jordan (Ohio), and Devin Nunes (Calif.), who are frequent guests on Fox News Channel” and will likely be the “public faces of the Trump defense and antagonists of the Justice Department’s leadership.

“This isn’t a crisis moment for Trump or the party,” said former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich (R-GA). “Remember, we thought we had Clinton on the ropes, but Clinton kept smiling and his popularity went up.”

However, Bill Clinton was not a pathological liar and he did end his role as president with the nation having a financial surplus, not by increasing our debt by trillions of dollars.   In addition, even with his problems, linton didn’t have all his campaign team being indicted and he wasn’t being investigated by a special counselor like Mueller of the Justice Department.

Not exactly a proper comparison.

Copyright G. Ater 2018