Senate urged to approve Homeland Security pick
President Donald Trump on Thursday introduced his choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a former staffer at the post-9/11 federal agency who he says will need “no on-the-job training” for the lead role.
Trump also called on Congress to “put politics aside” and confirm deputy White House chief of staff Kirstjen Nielsen by a “strong, bipartisan vote.”
But even before Trump had formally announced Nielsen’s appointment during an East Room ceremony attended by much of the Cabinet and senior members of the White House staff, at least one congressional Democrat said her role during Hurricane Katrina should be scrutinized.
The Senate must confirm Nielsen’s nomination.
WASHINGTON — The retired general brought in to instill order at the White House made a rare public appearance Thursday to declare he’s staying in his post — and to insist that the president’s volatile Twitter feed wasn’t making his job harder.
“Unless things change, I’m not quitting, I’m not getting fired and I don’t think I’ll fire anyone tomorrow,” chief of staff John Kelly told reporters during a surprise showing at the daily White House briefing. “I don’t think I’m being fired today, and I’m not so frustrated in this job that I’m thinking of leaving.”
The statement drew a bit of laughter, but it reflected ongoing turmoil in the top ranks of a White House riven by staff changes and internal feuds.
Kelly pushed back against recent reports that he and Trump were clashing, but he acknowledged he