The deputy to White House chief of staff John Kelly has allegedly annoyed Trump aides with her no-nonsense attitude and ‘lack of collegiality’.
In a report published by Politico, Kirstjen Nielsen has made it clear from the beginning that her demeanor is hardworking and strict, and she expects those she works with to follow suit.
‘Gatekeepers are generally not beloved,’ Jonathan Hoffman, assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, told Politico. ‘But that’s why it’s an important job.’
Kirstjen Nielsen, the deputy to White House chief of staff John Kelly (pictured together, August 2017), has allegedly annoyed Trump aides with her ‘lack of collegiality’
Nielsen has been under Kelly’s wing for years. When he headed the Department of Homeland Security, she served as Kelly’s chief of staff before being brought to the White House (pictured together, August 2017)
Nielsen has been under Kelly’s wing for years. When he headed the Department of Homeland Security, she served as Kelly’s chief of staff.
And when President Donald Trump named Kelly to succeed Reince Priebus as chief of staff, the four-star general brought along Nielsen, who holds degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Virginia Law School.
According to Politico, ‘more than 10 senior administration officials and outside advisers’ have said they believe Nielsen has been brought in to ‘clean up all the messes’.
For example, Nielsen sends out emails announcing internal policy and planning meetings that now contain a stern warning that any subordinates who disclose private information will be immediately ejected.
And it’s this attitude that has her described as being ‘dismissive and lacking in collegiality’.
‘These people worry that Nielsen – who now occupies former chief strategist Steve Bannon’s old office – is at risk of squandering the morale boost that accompanied the arrival of the four-star general and the hope for a fresh start,’ Politico reported.
Nielsen, for instance, ‘routinely cancels meetings with senior officials if someone shows up late’ and ‘phone calls often go unreturned’, Politico reported.
She also allegedly ‘controls time with Kelly the same way Kelly is seeking to control time with President Donald Trump – staffers who linger too long in the chief of staff’s office are interrupted and hurried along’.
Many likened Nielsen to Nurse Ratched the cold, heartless nurse who presides over a mental hospital in the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as well as the 1975 film.
Nielsen (pictured, August 2017) reportedly ‘routinely cancels meetings with senior officials if someone shows up late’ and ‘phone calls often go unreturned’ and many worry this will ‘squander a morale boost’ in the White House
Many likened Nielsen to Nurse Ratched the cold, heartless nurse who presides over a mental hospital in the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as well as the 1975 film (played by Louise Fletcher, left, seen with co-star Jack Nicholson)
While Nielsen may have the backing of Kelly, she has apparently failed to establish a personal relationship with the president (pictured, Thursday), something Trump advisers say is a misstep in understanding how the structure around him functions
While Nielsen may have the backing of Kelly, she has apparently failed to establish a personal relationship with the president, something Trump advisers say is a misstep in understanding how the structure around him functions.
However, many in the president’s administration dismissed this criticism and presented her as a welcome addition to the White House.
‘Kirstjen is a great addition to the White House and has been helpful in bringing fresh perspective and new structure to the team,’ White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Politico.
And Counselor Kellyanne Conway told the publication:’She’s hardly parachuted into the White House uninitiated.’
‘She’s been the chief’s chief at DHS for the first six months of this administration, when many of the major issues like the travel ban, wall construction, ICE, FEMA and DACA, were running through that Cabinet department.’
And while she may not have ‘expected nor sought’ her new position, Conway says that like General Kelly, Nielsen is ‘motivated by duty, honor and country’.