The former Director of Homeland Security under President Obama, Jeh Johnson, is urging the generals in the Trump administration not to quit, and protect the country from the dangerous impulses of Trump.
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RADDATZ: I want to turn now to what is going on in the White House and some of the turmoil in the White House. Steve Bannon leaving the White House this week. What do you think that says with Bannon leaving and we’ve got behind — put on your Pentagon hat, if you will, from years ago? What do you think it says he surrounded himself with generals and they remain, and what do you expect going forward?
JOHNSON: Well, that it’s interesting. I don’t think anyone would expect — would have expected we’d have so many retired general officers serving in civilian positions today. There’s been a lot of talk this week about people resigning from the White House, whether people should resign from the White House. We saw a number of his advisers resign from advisory councils.
Frankly, if John Kelly, or my friend Jim Mattis, came to me and said I’m thinking about resigning from this White House, I’d say absolutely not. You have to stay.
As John reportedly said, it’s country first. And we need people like John Kelly, Jim Mattis, H.R. McMaster to right the ship.
Johnson’s comments came at the same time as the story of six current White House officials describing how crazy Trump’s ideas are. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also called for Trump to surround himself with more good people who could serve as a check to the President.
It has become impossible for anyone who is not a blind Trump supporter to ignore the competency and fitness issues surrounding Trump. Republicans are talking about it. Democrats are discussing it, and what appears to be the plan for right now is for the White House to be staffed with people who will check Trump’s crazy.
If the sane people leave the administration and the safety and security of the country could be in jeopardy.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
