Tag Archives: John Kelly

CNN reports: To Donald Trump, Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán is “fantastic,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping is “brilliant,” North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is “an OK guy,” and, most alarmingly, he allegedly said Adolf Hitler “did some good things,” a worldview that would reverse decades-old US foreign policy in a second term should he win November’s presidential election, multiple former senior …

A new statement from ex-Trump chief of staff John Kelly: What can I add that has not already been said? A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person …

NBC News reports: In the book, excerpts of which were obtained first by NBC News, Miles Taylor describes having heard about Trump’s interest in “tapping” the phones of White House aides in a bid to stanch press leaks. Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said in an interview with NBC News that Trump had wanted to pursue leakers …

The Washington Post reports: Former president Donald Trump faced down the most serious threat to his personal liberty and political future like just another day on the campaign trail — waving to fans, giving a thumbs up, swinging by a storied eatery, soliciting donations and planning a spirited speech to supporters at one of his properties. The almost celebratory display …

NBC News reports: Behind closed doors in 2017, President Donald Trump discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea and suggested he could blame a U.S. strike against the communist regime on another country, according to a new section of a book that details key events of his administration. Trump’s alleged comments, reported for the first time …

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff secretly bought a book in which 27 mental health professionals warned that the president was psychologically unfit for the job, then used it as a guide in his attempts to cope with Trump’s irrational behavior. News of John Kelly’s surreptitious purchase comes in a new book from Peter Baker of …

The New York Post reports: John Kelly was secretly “listening to all” of President Donald Trump’s conversations without telling him, first son-in-law Jared Kushner reveals in his forthcoming book. Kushner writes that Trump was unaware that the former Marine Corps general turned White House chief of staff was listening to his phone calls until after Kelly’s departure was announced in …

Raw Story reports: “We’ve heard a lot of prominent Republicans, both in politics and in conservative media, praising Vladimir Putin, even calling him a ‘genius,'” said anchor Jake Tapper. “What’s your response when you hear that?” “Disbelief,” said Kelly. “He’s a tyrant. He’s a murderer. He has attacked an innocent country whose only crime is that they want to be …

The Guardian reports: On a visit to Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war, Donald Trump insisted to his then chief of staff, John Kelly: “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.” The remark from the former US president on the 2018 trip, which reportedly “stunned” Kelly, a retired US Marine Corps …

“The vast majority of people who worked in the White House were decent people who were doing the best they could to serve the nation. “They’ve unfortunately paid quite a price for that in reputation and future employment. They don’t deserve that. “They deserve better than that, because they kept the train from careening off the tracks. The climate—the work …

CNN reports: Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump “is the most flawed person” he’s ever known. “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I …

The Associated Press reports: Senior and former military leaders appeared to struggle Friday with how to respond to a report that President Donald Trump disparaged U.S. service members killed in combat as “losers,” as the president attacked the allegations as “fake news.” Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, sharing the Atlantic article on Twitter, described the military’s cemeteries as “sacred shrines …

Axios reports: The day after President Trump fired FBI boss James Comey, the president phoned John Kelly, who was then secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and offered him Comey’s job, the New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Schmidt reports in his forthcoming book, “Donald Trump v. The United States.” Driving the news: “But the president added something …

CNN reports: Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said Friday he agrees with former Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis’ stark warning this week that President Donald Trump is “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people” as nationwide protests have intensified over the death of George Floyd. “I agree with …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump’s former chief of staff John F. Kelly defended former defense secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday over Mattis’s criticism of the president’s handling of nationwide protests. Kelly also dismissed Trump’s assertion that the president fired the retired general in 2018. “The president did not fire him. He did not ask for his resignation,” Kelly, a …

So many shifting alliances: Former national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday came to the defense of former chief of staff John Kelly after President Trump lashed out over a series of criticisms Kelly made during an appearance at a New Jersey university. “John Kelly is an honorable man. John and I have disagreed at times, as is commonplace at …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump blasted John Kelly for speaking against him by invoking some alleged remarks from his former chief of staff’s wife. Kelly gave a speech to Drew University on Wednesday night, and in coverage from The Atlantic, Kelly was described as defending Alexander Vindman for his testimony against Trump over the Ukraine scandal. Kelly said Vindman was …

The Atlantic reports: Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council aide and impeachment witness President Donald Trump fired Friday, was just doing his job, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told students and guests at a Drew University event here Wednesday night. Over a 75-minute speech and Q&A session, Kelly laid out, in the clearest terms …

The New Jersey Advance reports: A Senate vote to end President Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings without calling witnesses should be considered “half a trial,” the president’s former chief of staff John Kelly said Friday. “In my view, they kind of leave themselves open to a lot of criticism,” Kelly said in an interview in advance of his Feb. 12 appearance …

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports: President Donald Trump is denying that he told former National Security Adviser John Bolton he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until the country launched investigations into Joe Biden and his son, allegations that Bolton levies in his new book, according to news reports. But one of Trump’s former top aides told a Sarasota crowd …