Gen Mattis, Gen. Flynn and Rex Tillerson were not consulted about the immigration order
For some reason the White House didn’t inform or seek guidance on President Donald Trump’s explosive executive order on immigration from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Director Homeland Security General John Kelly, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan or with any of the key Republican members of Congress who are involved with counter-terrorism.
As we know last Friday President Trump issued an executive order that severely restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries, suspends all refugee admission for 120 days, and bars all Syrian refugees indefinitely. The order was kept so secret that the agencies who were involved in making it work were caught off guard and it was that lack of complete understand that led to protests and misunderstandings of the order.
There can no doubt the White House betrayed key members of their own team by not trusting that they could keep a secret. Also, had the White House cleared this through proper channels then the firestorm it caused could have been avoided.
The order was penned by White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, with the guidance of “chief strategist” Stephen Bannon. The idea that Miller would create an executive order on immigration without consulting the key members of the Trump Administration is nothing short of stunning.
Let’s be clear the immigration order will stand all legal challenges that it will face in court. Let’s also be clear that President Trump, was moving forward keeping his promise of keeping America safe with the order.
The problem was not with the order itself but how Miller went about crafting the document in the first place. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, spent all weekend and early Monday saying that it was “kept secret,” to make sure no one in terrorist community could be tipped off.
So, was Mattis, Kelly and Tillerson not to be trusted? Were key members of Congress that could have helped back the White House on the order not to be trusted?
The bigger take-a-way from this is will White House advisor’s like Miller and Bannon continue to draft policy without consulting with their own cabinet?
My guess is that Gen. Mattis, who is highly respected by the military as well as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, will leave if he is not part of the vetting system.
Creating policy without having the great minds that were handpicked by President Trump himself, directing and helping craft it, is the recipe for disaster.
