Don’t look now, but there’s been yet another shake-up inside Donald Trump’s West Wing. What does this latest series of moves mean for the stability of the republic and for the stability of America’s relationship with its allies?
H.R. McMASTER
Last week, national security adviser H.R. McMaster was so at odds with “The Donald” that the West Wing announced the Trump/McMaster trial had come to an untimely end.
“After 34 years of service to our nation, I am requesting retirement from the US Army effective this summer after which I will leave public service,” McMaster said in a statement released by the White House. “Throughout my career, it has been my greatest privilege to serve alongside extraordinary service members and dedicated civilians. I am thankful to President Donald J. Trump for the opportunity to serve him and our nation as national security advisor. I am grateful for the friendship and support of the members of the National Security Council who worked together to provide the President with the best options to protect and advance our national interests,” McMaster continued.
What the carefully crafted statement did not mention is the months of personal tension between McMaster and Trump, particularly regarding their extreme difference in personality and style. According to a senior Republican source, the 2 men have never gotten along and Trump has frequently expressed exasperation with what he believed to be McMaster’s gruff and condescending demeanor toward him. (Surely, a draft dodging reality TV star of Trump’s stature should have been shown greater respect when discussing national security matters with a career 3-star Army General.)
Officials inside the West Wing have long denied reports that McMaster was on his way out. However, the leak late last week that Trump had been directly instructed by his national security advisers not to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his recent election “victory” but he did so anyway, seemed to seal McMaster’s fate.
If McMaster could have hung on a bit longer on the job, he would have been eligible to receive a promotion to the rank of 4-star General. The fact he was willing to forego the prestigious honor simply to rid himself of Trump’s West Wing speaks volumes.
JOHN BOLTON
The very day Trump opted to release McMaster is the same day Trump decided to appoint former US ambassador and Fox News analyst John Bolton as his new national security adviser.
“I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor,” Trump tweeted last week. “I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/19.”
Now, a plethora of foreign policy and military experts — who are familiar with Bolton’s propensity for war, his continued belief that the Iraq war was actually a good idea, and his eagerness to ignite a military battle with Iran and North Korea — are issuing a stark warning to all Americans: BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID!
Richard Haass, a high-ranking official from former President George W. Bush’s State Department is calling Bolton’s appointment “the most perilous moment in modern American history.”
“Donald Trump is now set for war on 3 fronts: political vs Bob Mueller, economic vs China/others on trade, and actual vs. Iran and/or North Korea,” Haass tweeted last Friday. “This is the most perilous moment in modern American history — and it has been largely brought about by ourselves, not by events.”
@realDonaldTrump is now set for war on 3 fronts: political vs Bob Mueller, economic vs China/others on trade, and actual vs. Iran and/or North Korea. This is the most perilous moment in modern American history-and it has been largely brought about by ourselves, not by events. — Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) March 23, 2018
Others also chimed in.
“I think that the risk of us entering a conflict with North Korea or with Iran is substantially greater than it was,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and political commentator Nicholas Kristof. “John Bolton was an architect of the war with Iraq 15 years ago, his instinct is to use the military toolbox – I think he’s vastly overconfident of using it.”
As an exclamation point, he added: “The idea of Mike Pompeo at the State Department and John Bolton as national security adviser I think is profoundly scary.”
Stephen Miles, the Director of the Win Without War coalition, a think tank program of the Centre for International Policy also warned that the appointment of Bolton is a clear message that Donald Trump is “scrapping diplomacy and preparing for war”.
“Trump is throwing in the towel as to whatever extent he was considering diplomacy and is preparing for war,” Miles said.
However, the most damning critique came from a fellow Republican who worked with Bolton during the Bush administration.
“John Bolton was by far the most dangerous man we had in the entire eight years of the Bush administration,” Richard Painter, the chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, tweeted on March 16. “Hiring him as the president’s top national security advisor is an invitation to war, perhaps nuclear war.”
John Bolton will be the 3rd national security adviser to sit in the West Wing since Trump entered The White House a mere 14 months ago.
JOHN DOWD
The lead lawyer for the federal special counsel probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election has resigned.
John Dowd quit the Trump team late last week amid growing disagreements and due to “The Donald” increasingly ignoring his legal advice, particularly the warning that Trump should NOT agree to a sit-down interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump’s ego has convinced him that he can successfully sit down in front of Mueller and his team of some of the best prosecutors in the US and discredit/make a mockery of their findings. Recognizing Trump’s “shoot from the hip” style, his refusal to do homework and prepare for almost anything, and his propensity to allow his anger and loose lips to say things that would certainly incriminate him, Dowd strongly advised Trump to avoid a Mueller meeting at all cost. Trump refused, jeopardizing Dowd’s ability to defend him, so he quit.
Dowd has been the lead lawyer since last summer, when longtime Trump personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz quit.
Washington husband and wife legal duo of Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing initially announced that they would be joining the Trump legal team this week. However, they both backed out in the 11th hour for undisclosed reasons.
This latest round of resignations/firings from “The Donald’s” West Wing underlines the challenge Trump actively faces in attracting top talent for administration jobs, despite claims that he has the ability to entice the best people available.
“They all want a piece of that Oval Office. They want a piece of the West Wing,” Trump said earlier this week in an attempt to create the illusion that working for him is a desirable quest. However, his “blacklist” of individuals who have criticized him, combined with his combative personality, free-wheeling work style, and impending Russia investigation has deterred most from wanting to work for him.
Interestingly, the dwindling list of people wanting to work for Trump now has him considering bringing back disgraced aide and accused wife-beater Rob Porter. How’s that for scraping the bottom of the barrel?
It’s true. No reputable Law Firm wants to be associated with the festering STENCH of Trump and his corrupt sham of a presidency. In fact DJ, last night Rachelle reported that in actuality diGenova has told a few close “friends” that when Trump made the announcement about diGenova (and Toensing) being hired as part of his legal team, neither diGenova (nor his wife) knew anything about it. Btw- a somewhat similar story has been going around (on the DL) regarding Trump’s announcement of Bolton being his pick to replace McMaster, as his National Security Adviser. Bolton’s rather surprised reaction on Faux Noise, shorty after the announcement, was a bit of a give-away. But I digress. Joe diGenova (and Toensing) had NOT met with Donald (prior to the announcement). Nor had they agreed to join his so-called “legal team.” And evidently, when they did finally meet with Trump they told him… Read more »