There are two important things to note about John Kelly. One, he’s a retired Marine. Two, he’s a political rookie.
On Friday at 5 p.m., President Trump sent Washington scurrying with his announcement that the retired general and current secretary of Homeland Security would succeed Reince Priebus as chief of staff at the White House.
Soon it will be Kelly’s task to summon calm out of chaos in the Oval Office. And while he’s a natural leader, it’s not clear whether or not he can become a party operator. His baptism of political fire at DHS has left him somewhat startled.
“What I never saw on the military side was the level of toxic kind of politics that are associated with what I do now,” Kelly told CNN in June.
That hasn’t paralyzed him though. Green but eager, Kelly has shown an ability to tangle with Congress and win. While meeting with Congress in March, for instance, some characterized the general as “dismissive” at times. In one particularly testy exchange, Kelly broke protocol, shocking Democrats and awing Republicans.
Pressed on DACA after a lengthy explanation, Kelly shot back, “Give me a break, will you?”
The big question now is whether that ability to shut down Democrats will translate into calming a White House that desperately needs discipline. For months the executive has been cannibalizing itself as aides leak and fight.
Everything in Kelly’s background suggests he won’t tolerate that sort of partisan backbiting. Many on the Hill certainly hope so.
“Can’t hurt,” Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican and Navy veteran, tells me. “Hopefully Gen. Kelly brings what’s needed: adult supervision.”
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
