Outgoing John Kelly defends Trump but not on border wall

Chief of Staff John Kelly will soon be leaving the White House and he gave his opinions about the president to "reporters/"

In an interview with the left leaning LA Times, Kelly told reporters that the President routinely consults multiple sources of information before making a decision, even if it often seems like Trump acts without regard for consequences, which is something the LA Times reporters didn't want to hear.

But while the outgoing White House Chief of Staff took aim at the president's border wall in his "exit interview" with the newspaper, he still defended Trump, countering empty claims by the media that the president often acts without knowing the consequences of his decisions. The media seems to make that stuff up as they go along in their hatred for Trump.

"It’s never been: The president just wants to make a decision based on no knowledge and ignorance,” Kelly said. “You may not like his decision, but at least he was fully informed on the impact.”

Kelly, however, took credit for whipping the White House into shape and imposing a sense of order on the Trump Administration's central organizational hub.  Kelly said that this was clearly missing when he first entered the job in 2017.

He added that he feels his tenure was successful because he helped the President view his actions through a lens that wasn't tainted by politics, a benefit, Kelly says, of his own military training.

Kelly also defended the President from claims that he's uncontrollable, because the President still Tweets, even amid political strife. Again, this pissed of the interviewer who was hoping Kelly would be angrier at Trump and say things that would berate him.

Being an honest broker, Kelly wasn't willing to defend every action of the Trump White House. He was critical of Trump's signature anti-illegal immigration effort, the border wall -- his biggest campaign promise and an issue currently at the forefront of national politics. It is also at the crux of Trump's current budget stalemate with Congress.

“To be honest, it’s not a wall,” Kelly told the LA Times, upending an ongoing talking point from the White House that billions are needed to construct a massive, physical wall on the border between the United States and Mexico.

“The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it," Kelly continued.

Members of the media, rubbing their hands together like witches around a cauldron, were quick to pounce on Kelly's comments, taking them as critical of the Administration's plan.

Bwah-ha-ha!

“To be honest, it’s not a wall,” John Kelly told the LA Times in an interview. The last time Kelly went on Fox and said the president was “uninformed” on the wall during the campaign, Trump shouted at him so loudly it could be heard outside Oval. This time, Kelly is out.— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) December 30, 2018

"To be honest, it's not a wall," John Kelly tells the LA Times. "The president still says 'wall' — oftentimes frankly he'll say 'barrier' or 'fencing,' now he's tended toward steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration." https://t.co/rMxBqfKDPp— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 30, 2018

But Kelly's assessment of the "wall" isn't nearly as critical as the left-leaning media, particularly on social media, might have readers believe.

In fact, Kelly is clear that the White House -- particularly the Department of Homeland Security -- worked directly with members of the Customs and Border Protection force, to determine what the best design for a so-called "border wall" might be.

"When Kelly led Homeland Security in early 2017, one of his first steps was to seek advice from those who 'actually secure the border,; Customs and Border Protection agents who Kelly calls 'salt-of-the-earth, Joe-Six-Pack folks,' the LA Times reports.

“They said, ‘Well we need a physical barrier in certain places, we need technology across the board, and we need more people,’” he added.

The White House is still in the midst of a battle over funding for the border wall, which is expected to pick up Wednesday, when Congress returns to Washington, D.C. after their holiday. By then, Kelly will be gone.

He is due to depart from his position as Chief of Staff the same day, and I, for one, will miss him.

I hope you have a great New Years, my fellow conservatives. At this time of year when everyone has a hand out for a hand-out, I don't. I simply want you to follow Brain Flushings and check out the ads on this page. It's free, I'm free and you're free to follow me or not. I hope you do.



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Trump's Chief of Staff [temp] pick is done

President Trump has picked Mick Mulvaney as "acting" chief of staff as John Kelly will be stepping down.

The President tweeted:

“I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction.” 

 “Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration. I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The president said Kelly, who recently announced plans to leave the White House, will stay through 2018. His departure date has not been announced nor even hinted at, but Trump tweeted again:

“John will be staying until the end of the year.  He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!”

The president did not say whether Mulvaney will remain as director of the Office of Management and Budget. He also did not detail how long Mulvaney will serve in an “acting” capacity. It could be weeks, months or years.

Mulvaney, who served in Congress before joining the Trump administration, has also served as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while simultaneously running the White House budget office--in other words, he can keep all the balls in the air.

Ivanka Trump, her father's White House adviser, praised Mulvaney, while thanking Kelly for his service.

Like dad, Ivanka tweeted:

“Congratulations Director Mulvaney!! You will undoubtedly continue to inspire and impress in this new role just as you have at OMB. Thank you General Kelly for almost 2 years of leadership in this Administration and for a lifetime of service to our great nation!”

Earlier Friday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie withdrew from consideration to serve as chief of staff. He evidently refuses to be Trump's hamburger 'gofer' and butler.

“It’s an honor to have the president consider me as he looks to choose a new White House chief of staff,” Christie said in a statement. “However, I’ve told the president that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment. As a result, I have asked him to no longer keep me in any of his considerations for this post."

Before choosing Mulvaney, the president apparently had difficulty getting several contenders to commit to the position. Nick Ayers, VP Pence's chief of staff was thought to be Trump's first pick but he withdrew from consideration due to time commitments that he could not agree to.

In an interview with Fox News' Harris Faulkner on "Outnumbered Overtime" on Thursday, the president discussed his search for Kelly's replacement and said he wants “somebody that's strong but I want somebody that thinks like I do.”

Nobody thinks like Trump thinks. Nobody.

Hello fellow conservatives. At this time of year when everyone has a hand out for a hand-out, I don't. I simply want you to follow Brain Flushings and check out the ads on this page. It's free, I'm free and you're free to follow me or not. I hope you do. 

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

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