President-elect Donald Trump has tapped retired Marine Gen. John Kelly to lead his Department of Homeland Security, nominating yet another career military officer to a high post in his government. It sends a signal to Washington that this administration plans to be tougher on immigration in the future and enforce the laws on the books.
Kelly, yet another high-ranking military officer, is a well-respected Marine general who seeks to instill discipline within the vast government organization. He becomes another key security official from the military in Trump’s White House.
Trump has already made Marine Gen. James Mattis his defense secretary and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn his national security adviser, and he is considering retired Army Gen. David Petraeus for secretary of state. The entire political landscape in Washington is doing a 180 degree turn in terms of political appointments compared to the Obama years of mainly academics, politicians and think tank consultants.
Kelly, 66, is not expected to face difficulty being confirmed, according to the Post. He is viewed as a border security hawk who will please Trump backers looking for the president-elect to follow through on vows to limit immigration.
The nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt will incite environmentalists. The fiery Oklahoman’s selection was confirmed by a transition official Wednesday. It sends a clear sign that Trump intends to dismantle President Obama’s main climate change policy.
Pruitt, who has written that the debate on climate change is “far from settled,” is part of a coalition of state attorneys general suing the agency over the administration’s Clean Power Plan. His nomination is sure to cause a firestorm on the left. Trump repeated many times during the campaign that the EPA was a large contributor to small business failures with thousands of unwarranted government regulations.
