Trump wanted anti-Muslim, anti-Immigrant, anti-American Kris Kobach as the new head of DHS

John Kelly’s move to the chief of staff role at the White House meant a departure for Steve Gorka and Sebastian Gorka—both advisers whose absence is not going to make anyone concerned. However, there is one person missing since Kelly’s move who could make a difference … Kelly. He came to the chief of staff position from the top slot at the Department of Homeland Security. And since his move, there’s been no effort to fill that empty position.

With large swaths of Texas underwater and top staffers focused on pushing tax reform, the president is taking his time filling the vacant Cabinet post at DHS. Though White House aides have whittled the contenders down to a final shortlist, it could be weeks before Trump finalizes his choice, according to a senior administration official and a homeland security expert familiar with the conversations.

Trump has indicated that he’s not rushing to fill every slot because government doesn’t really need so many managers. It’s experience that Donald Trump has gathered … while driving six major bankruptcies and thirteen failed businesses. And at least Trump seems to have backed away from his first choice.

Trump was initially inclined to tap Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the central player in the president’s election fraud commission, as DHS secretary. But Kelly is said to have persuaded Trump against picking Kobach, one of the country’s leading immigration hawks, according to the person familiar with the internal discussions.

If Kelly has done nothing else, it was worth having him in place to intercept Kris Kobach. Though his current slot leaves Kobach in place to expand his Kansas voter suppression schemes nationwide. There really is no safe spot for Kobach—though the new job he did get seems entirely appropriate.

from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2wZ6Kat