John Kelly’s year of unforgettable quotes
| August 1, 2018(Photo: AFP IMAGEBANK)
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his week, John Kelly is completing his first year as White House chief of staff. The stern-faced general, who served also as Homeland Security Chief, brought military discipline to the Oval Office, instituting order amid the chaos that characterizes President Trump’s working environment. After a few months, though, ties between Kelly and Trump cooled somewhat, to the point where rumors abounded regarding Kelly’s imminent departure. That ultimately didn’t happen, and here we are, a year later, and Kelly’s still around.
Kelly’s first year was replete with nondiplomatic, not politically correct utterances, some of which elicited smiles, and others that raised eyebrows.
Oct. 12, 2017
At the height of tense relations with his boss, Kelly publicly refuted rumors that he was planning on resigning. His sarcasm in framing the gap between the perception of the press and the reality in the West Wing prompted titters from the audience.
“I don’t think I’m being fired today and I am not so frustrated in this job that I’m thinking of leaving. Unless things change, I’m not quitting, I’m not getting fired, and I don’t think I’ll fire anyone tomorrow.”
Oct. 19, 2017
Kelly often confronted the cameras to defend the president, but his appearance following Trump’s condolence call to the widow of slain army soldier Myeshia Johnson, whose husband, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, was one of four American soldiers killed in Niger was the most emotional, personal example. Trump’s less-than-sensitive remark, “He knew what he was getting into,” aroused a storm of protest from across the political spectrum. Kelly, a bereaved father himself and the one to prime Trump before the call, explained that Trump had been misunderstood.
“Let me tell you what my best friend, Joe Dunford, told me — because he was my casualty officer. He said, ‘Kel, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1 percent.’ ”
March 1, 2018
Speaking at a Homeland Security event, Kelly made a facetious remark about his former position, fueling speculations whether he was actually telling a truth in jest.
“Truly, at six months, the last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and G-d punished me, I guess.”
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 721)
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