Today, Friday July 28th, Reince Preibus was replaced as White House Chief of Staff by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Retired 4 Star General John F. Kelly. If you want to stop leaks then who better to bring in to run a tight ship than a retired 4 star Marine General who happens to also be the Department of Homeland Security Secretary? “John Kelly is one of our great stars” President Trump said at a speech to law enforcement in New York, today and then reiterated that quote when asked, after landing back in Washington. So who is John Kelly and what does it mean for North Korea who launched A ICBM into the Pacific Ocean today?
In July, a source close to General Kelly told me that he was hesitant to take the DHS Secretary job, given the political climate but felt it was a duty he needed to do for his country which backs up two things he said in a June interview with CNN “True to form, my wife Karen said, ‘Well, if the Kelly family is nothing else, we’re a family of service to the nation. And if they think they need you, then you’ve got to do it,'”. In addition to “What I never saw on the military side was the level of toxic kind of politics that are associated with what I do now,” and yet he still took the job, which speaks to his continued service to his country.
John Kelly
General John F. kelly, in Iraq
- Retired 4 Star Marine Corps General from Brighton, Massachusetts grew up in a middle class family.
- Served as Department of Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump Administration.
- Served in a variety of Commander roles in Falujah and Anbar Province, Iraq from 2002-2009.
- Joined the Pentagon as a senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense in 2011 and then as Commander of U.S. Southern Command from 2012-2017.
- Gold Star father who lost his son, 2nd Lt. Robert Kelly, to a roadside bomb in Sangin, located in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in 2010.
- Respected by many, a straight shooter who is loyal to his country first and therefore Trump but won’t be afraid to disagree and give his opinion. Trump respects that.
- Will set a new tone bringing much needed discipline and leadership into the White House. It is being reported the chain of command will run through him, which is no easy task with big personalities in the White House such as son in-law and Advisor Jared Kushner, Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, and new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci all under one roof.
- Immigration: border crossings dropped 70% during his time as DHS Secretary.
- Will be most effective giving advice to President Trump on Foreign Policy along the lines of the Middle East. Not only with Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan but also Iran, in particular, possibly revisiting President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal; which Trump has mentioned in the past, and how to effectively deal with North Korea’s missile program, in addition to keeping Russia and Putin in-check. Another tough task.
- Domestically, with the Republican health care bill seemingly dead next up on Trump’s agenda will be tax cuts and tax reform.
Reince Preibus
Who is former White House Chief of Staff Reince Prebus and why is he headed out the door?
- Former Head of the RNC and labeled as part of the “establishment”.
- May have had his own motives and in the least, couldn’t stop the constant leaks coming out of the White House.
- Couldn’t pass any legislative bills from the President’s agenda even though he had many connections to members of the House and Senate on Capitol Hill.
- Had public battles with Steve Bannon and Anthony Scaramucci
North Korea
In April, General Kelly stated North Korea could be nuclear armed with a missile capable of hitting the United State in the next three years. He said ”the minute North Korea gets a missile that could reach the United States and put a weapon on that missile, a nuclear weapon, the instant that happens, this country is at grave risk.”
As a Gold star father, John Kelly understands the price of war I believe that will play a big factor in his opinion on what to do with North Korea. North Korea has strategically placed artillery along the DMZ line to deter military action from South Korea and the United States, which has worked up to this point. Both South Korea and the United States understand the potential disastrous consequences that could take place in Seoul, South Korea but at the same time the longer this goes, the closer North Korea is to having a ICBM that could reach the United States. Once that happens, it’s only a matter of time until they can fit a nuclear warhead on one of those missiles. It’s a tough spot to be in, with not many options to choose from but if anyone is up to handle the task, its John F. Kelly.
@dport12s
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