While this week saw important news on the border and around the country, the biggest news this week came from inside the White House. As the year closes, it’s no surprise to see shifting in the Administration, but it is interesting to see where it comes from.
Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly, will be stepping down, the public learned Saturday. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, was the President’s second chief of staff, after Reince Priebus. He served for 17 months and was rumored for a while to be nearing the end of his tenure. Trump made other personnel moves this week, naming William Barr for attorney general and Heather Nauert for ambassador to the UN. He also named Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding Gen. Joseph Dunford.
William Barr, who will likely be the next attorney general, is qualified, to say the least. He has actually been the attorney general before, during George H.W. Bush’s tenure. During that term, he was in charge of one Robert Mueller, who ran the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Barr will likely be confirmed by a large margin, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. He specializes in counter-terrorism, especially on a global scale, which is something libertarians want to see less of. Hopefully, Barr’s pick is one of safety and not an indicator of the Trump administration mimicking past presidencies’ approaches to crime.
The opposite of Barr, Trump’s pick for ambassador to the UN is far less technically qualified. Now, in his defense, the qualifications for an ambassadorship are far less rigid than those for the attorney general. Heather Nauert is the spokeswoman for the State Department, but she was also previously a host on “Fox & Friends.” This could mean Trump is shifting the role away from policy-making, and instead towards policy-defending, almost like a press secretary but for diplomats instead of journalists. While not the traditional role, it certainly makes sense for Trump, who bumps enough heads on the foreign stage.
You can read more from Ian Scar on Think Liberty here.