Why John Kelly Is An 'Apolitical' Force In The White House | Morning Joe

>>> WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING JOE."
JOINING US POLITICAL REPORTER FOR "THE WASHINGTON POST" AND
MODERATOR OF "WASHINGTON WEEK" ON PBS, ROBERT COSTA.
BOB'S TAKING A LOOK AT THE NEW CHIEF OF STAFF IN A PIECE TITLED
"JOHN KELLY IS AN APOLITICAL FORCE IN A WHITE HOUSE DIVIDED
BY IDEOLOGY." WE'LL GET TO THAT PIECE IN A
SECOND. BECAUSE YOU ARE SO WOULD IRD

IT WAS A DECISION IF THERE WAS ONE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO MAKE
HIS "FIRE AND FURY" COMMENT. ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTED PRETTY
EXTRAORDINARILY THAT IT WAS NOT CLEARED BY GENERAL MATTIS, THE
DEFENSE SECRETARY, WHO OBVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE TO PROSECUTE THE FIRE
AND FURY MENTION BY PRESIDENT TRUMP YESTERDAY.
DO YOU THINK THIS WAS A CALCULATED COMMENT BY THE
PRESIDENT OR WAS IT OFF THE CUFF?
>> BASED ON MY REPORTING, IT WAS MORE OF AN EXTEMPORANEOUS.
HE HAD NOTES PROVIDED BY HIS SECURITY POLICY TEAM.
GENERAL KELLY, H.R. McMASTER, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
HAS BEEN BRIEFING THE PRESIDENT FOR WEEKS AND MONTHS ON THE
NORTH KOREAN THREAT, BUT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS DICTATING
THE RHETORIC BEING USED AND HE'S TALKING TO OTHER AIDES BUT IT'S
REALLY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF DRIVING THE PROCESS.
>> SO FIRE AND FURY, BOB, WAS NOT A LINE DRAWN UP IN A MEETING
SOMEWHERE AT BEDMINISTER? >> WE HAVE NO REPORTING ON THAT
YET.
THE PRESIDENT DID HAVE NOTES. >> JOE?
>> BOB, YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE BEEN LOOKING IN TO JOHN KELLY,
GENERAL KELLY'S FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB, AND HOW HE'S DOING
THERE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE HAVE
BEEN SOME UNREALISTIC VIEWS OF WHAT THIS MAN IS SUPPOSED TO DO
AND WHAT HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO.
HE'S NEVER GOING TO BE DICTATING DONALD TRUMP'S TWEETS OR TELLING
HIM WHAT TO SAY IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT, IS HE?
>> HE'S NOT, AND HE CAME INTO THE JOB I'M TOLD BY SOME OF HIS
ASSOCIATES THAT TWITTER AND WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC MESSAGING
WOULD NOT REALLY BE HIS PORTFOLIO.
WE WOULD GUIDE THE PRESIDENT WHEN POSSIBLE, BUT IT WOULDN'T
BE AT THE TOP OF HIS AGENDA. CHIEF OF STAFF WHO IS MANAGING
THE STAFF MORE THAN MANAGING THE CHIEF.
>> RIGHT. AND AS YOU TALK ABOUT IN YOUR
PIECE HIM MANAGING THE STAFF, RIGHT NOW HE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO
BE A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT WARNING FACTIONS
INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE. HOW LONG DOES THAT LAST IF AS
THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" WROTE IN THEIR EDITORIAL THIS MORNING
YOU HAVE STEVE BANNON TRASHING AN AMERICAN HERO LIKE GENERAL
McMASTER? >> THAT'S AN INTRIGUING QUESTION
BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT BANNON'S BAT WELL GENERAL
McMASTER IT'S ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AFGHAN POLICY, HOW MANY
TROOPS TO HAVE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND'PRESIDENT MOVES IN THE
McMASTER DIRECTION IN THE MORE TRADITIONAL HAWKISH DIRECTION
COULD YOU SEE SOME OUTRAGE FROM THE BANNON WING OF THE WHITE
HOUSE, AND MAYBE THAT COULD FURTHER ENFLAME THIS SITUATION.
I THINK THAT YOU LOOK AT GENERAL KELLY, HE'S ALSO BEING TURNED TO
BY A LOT OF STAFFERS TO BE A VOICE OF CALM ON NATIONAL
SECURITY, TO HELP THE PRESIDENT THINK THROUGH THE REGIONAL
CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO NORTH KOREA.
GENERAL KELLY HAS SERVED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, 45-YEAR
MARINE. THERE'S HOPE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
AND EXPECTATION THAT HE CAN HELP THE PRESIDENT TALK THROUGH HOW
TO WORK WITH CHINA, HOW TO WORK WITH JAPAN, WORK WITH
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONFRONT THIS THREAT.
>> MARK LEIBOVICH IT'S SURREAL YOU HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE STEVE
BANNON THINKING THAT HE CAN SECOND-GUESS AND UNDERCUT A
MARINE GENERAL WHO NOT ONLY SERVED THIS COUNTRY FOR 45 YEARS
ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT LOST HIS SON IN COMBAT AND JUST SAID
GOOD-BYE TO ANOTHER SON GOING OVER TO AFGHANISTAN.
I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY UNLIKE STEVE BANNON WHEN IT COMES TO
ISSUES LIKE THIS, THE GENERAL'S ALL IN.
>> YOU WOULD WONDER HOW I MEAN SORT OF SPEAKING IN GENERAL, THE
GENERAL HERE WHAT, GENERAL KELLY THINKS OF THIS.
I MEAN TO ME THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN McMASTER AND KELLY HERE
IS CENTRAL BECAUSE YOU WONDER WHEN AND IF PEOPLE ARE BLAMING
STEVE BANNON FOR THE STUFF WRITTEN ABOUT McMASTER OVER THE
LAST WEEK OR SO. DOES GENERAL KELLY TAKE NOTICE,
DOES GENERAL McMASTER GO TO GENERAL KELLY AND SAY WHAT IS
THIS? IN SO MUCH AS THERE ARE WARRING
FACTIONS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, BANNON LOOKS LIKE HE'S BEEN IN
THE SECOND WAVE OF SIDELINING IN SOME WAYS IN THAT APPARENTLY THE
PRESIDENT WAS NOT PLEASED WITH THIS JOSH GREEN BOOK THAT CAME
OUT THAT GIVES HIM MORE AUTHORITY, GIVES HIM MORE OF A
SENSE, SOMEONE -- >> MARK, IF YOU READ THAT BOOK
IT'S BASICALLY STEVE BANNON GOT --
>> GOT HIM ELECTED PRESIDENT. >> -- DONALD TRUMP ELECTED
PRESIDENT, IT WAS IMPRESSIVE, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE STEVE BANNON
AGAIN TRYING TO DICTATE POLICY ON AFGHANISTAN, WHY NOT JUST GO
TO YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF THAT'S BEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD, THAT'S
BEEN IN THE MARINES AND AS I SAID, JOHN KELLY JUST SENT HIS
SECOND SON OVER TO AFGHANISTAN. >> IT IS VERY PERSONAL OBVIOUSLY
WITH MILITARY FIGURES, AND YOU DO SORT OF WONDER HOW THAT
RELATIONSHIP IS PLAYING OUT. IT'S OBVIOUSLY VERY EARLY IN
BOB'S REPORTING SOURED OF SPEAKS TO THE NONIDEOLOGICAL
ORIENTATION OF THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, DO YOU SORT OF WONDER
WHERE DOES THIS GO FROM HERE? ARE THEY DEVELOPING A
RELATIONSHIP? IS THIS A CANDID INTERACTION
THAT HE CAN SPEAK TO THE PRESIDENT ABOUT?
>> JUST TO ADD TO SOMETHING MARK JUST SAID, JOE.
YOU THINK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BANNON AND GENERAL
KELLY. REMEMBER BANNON'S A NAVY
VETERAN. BANNON HAS A DAUGHTER WHO SERVED
AT WEST POINT, WENT TO WEST POINT, SO IT'S A COMPLICATED WEB
WITHIN THIS WHITE HOUSE. IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO FIGURE
OUT WHO IS ALIGNED WITH WHO. THE GENERAL KELLY I'M TOLD IS
FRIENDLY WITH JARED KUSHNER, ALSO FRIENDLY WITH STEVE BANNON.
HE'S THIS APOLITICAL FIGURE. HOW THIS PLAYS OUT WHETHER HE
ALIGNS WITH THE GENERAL PERHAPS ON AFGHANISTAN BUT KEEPS BANNON
AROUND TO KEEP THE BASE IN CHECK IT'S ALL AN OPEN QUESTION.
>> ONE OF THE MORE INTERESTING DYNAMICS ON THE WHITE HOUSE
STAFF IS GENERAL KELLY'S LOYALTIES.
HE HAS HIS PRINCIPAL LOYALTY TO HIS COUNTRY, OUR COUNTRY, AND
THEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES. IN A WHITE HOUSE WHICH IS
SOMEWHAT FILLED WITH THE CULT OF PERSONALITY, WITNESS STEVEN
MILLER YESTERDAY CALLING PRESIDENT TRUMP THE GREATERS
ORATO IN THE HISTORY OF PRESIDENCY, HOW IS THIS GOING
DOWN? >> WELL, LET ME PREFACE, MIKE,
BY SAYING WHO KNOWS HOW THIS WILL PLAY OUT.
GENERAL KELLY COULD BE SHORT-LIVED AS CHIEF OF STAFF
FOR ALL I KNOW. I HAVE A COUPLE THINGS TO SAY.
HE'S TOLD THE STAFF LAST FRIDAY IN A BIG MEETING AT THE WHITE
HOUSE, CHECK YOUR OPINIONS AT THE DOOR.
NO ONE REALLY CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS.
YOUR OPINIONS DON'T MATTER, ONLY THE PRESIDENT'S OPINIONS MATTER.
TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. AND ON THE BIG POLICY DECISION
FACING THE ADMINISTRATION ON TAXES HE HAD ALL THE KEY STAKE
HOLDERS IN FRONT OF HIM TRYING TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF THEIR
SEATS. WHERE IS GENERAL KELLY GOING TO
LEAN WHEN IT COMES TO TAXES. HE SAYS I DOENT AVERY A
POSITION. MY ONLY POSITION IS I PAY THEM
AND I DON'T LIKE THEM. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE SAT BACK AND SAID THIS GUY, THIS NEW CHIEF OF STAFF IS
NOT TAKING A POSITION. THIS IS A NEW CULTURE INSIDE OF
THE WEST WING BUT AGAIN WHO KNOWS HOW LONG IT LASTS.
>> IT'S INTERESTING, ROB AS YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T SURE WHETHER
THE "FIRE AND FURY" COMMENTS WERE CALCULATED.
OBVIOUSLY NOT ANYTHING PRESIDENT TRUMP REGRETS.
HE'S RETWEETING STORIES HIGHLIGHTING HIS COMMENT ABOUT
FIRE AND FURY AND RETWEETED A

Why John Kelly Is An 'Apolitical' Force In The White House | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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