A week ago yesterday Donald Trump’s Chief
Economic Adviser, Gary Cohn exited TrumpWorld. Yesterday, Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson was fired by tweet. There are many reasons that could have prompted
the President to unceremoniously terminate Tillerson's employment, ranging from his alleged
reference to his boss as an “effi’n (full spelling) moron,” (which he subsequently refused to
deny), to his opposing opinion about the efficacy of proceeding with plans for
Trump to meet directly with North Korea’s Kim Jung-un. In any event, while that
was indeed the main event, there was both a bonus, and a double-bonus that were
also pretty good; I suppose that’s why they’re called bonus and double bonus.
In addition to firing Tillerson, the
administration also fired his top spokesman, Steve Goldstein. Shortly after the
tweetocide, Goldstein noted that Tillerson had not spoken directly to the
President about the move. He said:
“The
Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress
made on critical national security issues. The Secretary did not speak with the
President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the
opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a
noble calling and not to be regretted.”
Goldstein, it appears, did not get the memo.
It’s true Donald Trump appreciates loyalty. However, the complete thought is,
Donald Trump appreciates people who are loyal to him. Mr. Goldstein’s display
of allegiance to Tillerson, who’d already been dismissed, was clearly a deeply
misplaced gesture. Nevertheless, he took his own termination with high honor
and nobility. He said in his post termination statement:
“I was
proud to speak on behalf of the Secretary of State to the American people and
allies throughout the world and this has been the honor of a lifetime.
It’s
within the purview, you are appointed by the administration and you are appointed
for the time being. That is what is listed on your commission and it is
determined by the White House who they want in these roles.
I don’t
have regret, other than you always want to try to do more, but I feel proud of
what we achieved and I am so impressed by the Secretary of State. He is a truly
great man.
I look forward
to getting more rest and hopefully winning an indoor rowing competition.”
In yesterday’s final Trump firing – strike
three as it were, Trump’s ‘body man’ John McEntee was fired abruptly, and escorted from
the White House for security reasons, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Representative Elijah Cummings, Democrat – MD wrote about McEntee’s firing:
“This
recent report about President Trump’s personal assistant is just the latest
indication that the process for vetting White House employees for security
issues is seriously flawed.”
Last week, Trump said there is no chaos in the
White House, just lots of great energy. Inexplicably, his supporters agree. I
do not. I cannot. Full stop!
As 2016 Donald Trump said repeatedly, “Drain
the swamp.” That, of course, was the thrust of last week’s post, (https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/03/07/draining-the-swamp-one-former-trump-appointee-at-a-time/).
In a not so surprising way, it’s as though this week is a déjà vu all over
again, a “Groundhog Day” the movie, kind of week. The thing is that has quickly
become the legacy of TrumpWorld.
A great deal has been made of the tumult,
turbulence, and turmoil that unfold on a regular basis, almost solely as a
result of the fact that the current occupant of the White House…is the current
occupant of the White House. He claims he is ‘Making America Great Again,” and
that he is the only one who can. His supporters and spinners insist that he is
unduly targeted and unfairly attacked because of his “unconventional” tactics
and unfiltered comments. The other 60+% of Americans, including the more than
three million more who voted for his opponent rather than him, argue that his
rhetoric is crass, demeaning, and filled with hateful flourishes, while his
policies are designed to segment and separate groups into competing, often near-warring factions.
George Orwell warned in his dystopian novel,
“1984,” that authoritarianism begins with language. In that setting, “newspeak”
was language twisted to deceive. From the very onset, Team Trump attempted to
use news and language to deceive Americans. Trump’s first Press Secretary, Sean
Spicer, alleged on his first day on the job, in his first instance behind the
podium, that Trump’s Inauguration was the largest ever. That was a deception, a
claim that if made by anyone not representing President Trump, would simply have
been called a lie. The administration would go on to double down on this
fanciful misrepresentation when Counselor to the President, Kellyanne
Conway, characterized Spicer’s depiction as “alternative facts. A rose by any
other name, or in that case a lie euphemistically framed.
The President hired Spicer and Conway, so it is
understandable that they shill for their guy. After all, they owe him their
loyalty, which he unabashedly demands, and their jobs, from which he has been
known to threaten to dismiss staffers. However, day before yesterday, the House
Intelligence Committee opted summarily to end its Russia investigation. They declined to even
consult with the Democrats on the committee before doing so. In explaining the
rationale for their decision, spokesmen for the committee said they found no
evidence of collusion by the Trump Campaign with the Russians, and that despite
the findings of the U.S. intelligence community that the Russians endeavored to
help Donald Trump’s campaign, while simultaneously working to undermine Clinton’s, the
Committee concluded that the intelligence agencies were simply wrong on that singular point.
Unlike Trump’s appointees, the House members on
this committee are elected, and have taken an oath to represent and take
actions that reflect the will of the people who sent them to Washington. I
suppose they either believe they were elected by the 38% (Trump supporters),
and surely some of them were, or that they to are obligated to render fealty to
Trump, just as his appointees seem to feel they must do. But, I digress. This
brief edition is about the Tillerson imbroglio.
Remember last may when James Comey discovered
he was fired from TV, while talking to a group of FBI Agents in Los Angeles?
Well, Tillerson’s episode yesterday reflected the next phase, direct from Trump’s
favorite social media platform…his Twitter Account. “Another Week, Another SwampDenizen, or Two, or Three, Drained!”
I’m done; holla back!
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Consult the links below for more
detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/13/john-mcentee-longtime-body-man-for-donald-trump-ou/
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