Aaron Blake notes that Nikki Haley’s claim that she refused to “undermine” President Trump at the request of John Kelley and Rex Tillerson “is significant in that she’s perhaps the Republican Party’s brightest rising star and someone many see as a future presidential candidate — and possibly even a replacement for Vice President Pence on the 2020 ticket.”
“It’s also significant because she has shown a capacity to criticize Trump when she felt it necessary, and there were even some thoughts that she resigned in October 2018 because she was disillusioned. She has clearly hitched her wagon to Trump now, at least to some degree, which is important.”
“The bigger story, though, is that two even-higher-ranking officials took such an extraordinary step that allowed for Haley’s refusal. The danger of Kelly and Tillerson making such an approach is exactly what we’re seeing today: That they would be outed by other officials. They did it anyway.”
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