Last week, to the great dismay of Democrats and the media, Trump sent Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman packing. This was the beginning of a trend because Trump just gave walking papers to 70 Obama holdovers in the National Security Council.
Better late than never. It’s a shame Trump didn’t do this three years ago. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble.
Paul Bedard reports at the Washington Examiner:
Bigger than Vindman: Trump scrubs 70 Obama holdovers from NSCPresident Trump is making good on his promises to “drain the swamp” and cut Obama-era holdovers from his staffs, especially the critical and recently controversial National Security Council.Officials confirmed that Trump and national security adviser Robert O’Brien have cut 70 positions inherited from former President Barack Obama, who had fattened the staff to 200.Many were loaners from other agencies and have been sent back. Others left government work.The NSC, which is the president’s personal staff, was rocked when a “whistleblower” leveled charges that led to Trump’s impeachment.
Trump hasn’t shied away from this topic on Twitter:
Predictably, liberals in media are clutching their pearls over this.
Summer Concepcion writes at the progressive site Talking Points Memo:
NSC Expected To Purge More Staffers As Soon As Next WeekLt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s Friday ouster was just the beginning.National security adviser Robert O’Brien is set to overhaul the NSC staff as early as next week, according to a CNN report Saturday.Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that O’Brien was expected to oust around a dozen officials as part of an effort to streamline the NSC.Although O’Brien has already been downsizing the NSC by attrition and transferring staffers detailed from other departments to return to their home agencies earlier than planned, a source told CNN that the final phase will include more direct firings and cuts.
Ace of Spades has written an outstanding analysis of the double standard on display here, which I feel compelled to share here:
Remember when Clinton fired all the currently serving US Attorneys, who’d been appointed by Bush the Elder? Probably not, because it wasn’t reported on. And it wasn’t reported on because of course an incoming president of the opposite party fires all the political appointees of the old regime.But then the younger Bush fires all of Clinton’s US attorneys, and the press screams it’s unconstitutional and an attempt to establish a “unitary executive.” Which is supposed to sound ominous, but it’s not — the Constitution establishes a “unitary executive.” All lesser executive officials only exercise those powers devolved to them by the elected Chief Executive.But during Republican administrations, the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) start insisting that executive power is not vested in an elected Chief Executive, but resides chiefly with permanent or political bureaucrats, most of whom are Democratic operatives or strongly aligned with liberal policy positions, and that it’s an illegal abuse of office for the President to appoint people he trusts to those positions, or fire people he doesn’t.Oh, and of course when Obama fired all of Bush the Younger’s US Attorneys — crickets from the media again.
Trump needs to have people around him who are trustworthy and won’t run to the media with leaks for a pat on the back from the institutional left.
He would be wise to get rid of all the Obama holdovers. Fire them all.
Featured image via YouTube.
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