Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley blasted former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, recalling a private conversation where they defended resisting President Trump, telling her they did so out of necessity.
Haley told “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell that she did not appreciate having the former officials confide in her, as she described in her new book, “With All Due Respect.”
“[I]nstead of saying that to me, they should’ve been saying that to the president, not asking me to join them on their sidebar plan,” Haley said.
Haley said that the two men “confided in me that when they resisted the president, they weren’t being insubordinate, they were trying to save the country” and how “Tillerson went on to tell me the reason he resisted the president’s decisions was because, if he didn’t, people would die….”
Haley, however, was not impressed.
“It should’ve been, ‘Go tell the president what your differences are, and quit if you don’t like what he’s doing,’” Haley told O’Donnell. “But to undermine a president is really a very dangerous thing. And it goes against the Constitution, and it goes against what the American people want. And it was offensive.”
If you don’t want to do the job, don’t TAKE the job.
Difficult when everyone the RNC suggests are a bunch of geldings or doing their best to put spies and Obamanites in the way.
@kitt: The problems this country faces, many of which have simply been ignored and allowed to grow worse, are not going to be resolved by business as usual. In fact, the standard solutions to many problems simply haven’t worked.
Trump is not a guy that evades a challenge. Obama fretted about his “legacy” (more about how it could be spun than on built on accomplishment) but Trump wants a legacy of actual accomplishment; no doubt he WANTS to be the “best” President.
Look at some of the monumental mistakes made in the past by master politicians. Trump CAN’T do any worse and can certainly do far better. Problem is, THAT is what so many fear.
@Deplorable Me: Not being able to blackmail him with the dossier must have been shocking to them.
I think the reason Nikki Haley understood the issue at the heat of this was that she had held ELECTED office while both Tillerson and Kelly were lifelong gov’t employees.
The PEOPLE elect the President, he then appoints a few lifelong gov’t employees to help him put his policies into action inside a huge federal gov’t.
If they disagree with him, they ought to tell him so and why.
If he still wishes to go with his original policy, they should suck it up and help it succeed as best they can OR quit.
Undermining the elected official is wrong on every level.
We are NOT a gov’t of, by and for the federal workforce.
We are a gov’t of, for and by the PEOPLE, thru our elected choices.
@Nan G: I used to tell people at work that I worked for that I would offer them the benefit of my experience but will do what they direct. I told the people that worked for me that they can offer their opinions but the final decision is mine and I will take full responsibility for it.
Democrats and some Republicans don’t seem to get that.