The White House under John Kelly is a 'more sane environment,' West Wing aide says

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published 10 August 2017

Newly minted White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has wasted no time whipping the West Wing into order. Time reported Thursday in its cover story on the general that in Kelly's first all-hands meeting, he scolded the staff for its infighting, urging them to "set their egos and agendas (and any leaking) aside," and he reset their priorities, reminding them that America comes before President Trump.

Since then, it's been full speed ahead:

The Kelly effect on White House operations was immediate. He told everyone in the West Wing to report to him and not the president, including, at least in theory, "Javanka," Washington's nickname for [Jared] Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump. He squelched the flow of unvetted paper to the president, which had sometimes led to erroneous tweets and anecdotes; he listened in on Trump's conversations with other Cabinet officers. In meetings, he cut off ramblers and told bickering aides to work out their differences before they arrived. Patrolling the West Wing, he told aides to stay in their offices instead of loitering in clumps of five or six outside the Oval Office and trying to catch the president's eye. (As a result, some White House officials are spending more time on television; it is known to be an excellent way to attract the president's attention.) And he backed National Security Adviser [H.R.] McMaster, who had been trying for months to remove troublesome allies of Bannon's without success. Other staff changes are expected. One West Wing aide called the White House under Kelly a "more sane environment." [Time]