Ex-Trump aide flags 'the only reason' president-elect's law breaking might be stopped
The "Anonymous" writer who sounded the alarm about concerns in Donald Trump's first administration is begging Republicans to line up to join the new one.
Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, penned a column for the New York Times urging conservatives "not to run from him, as some might say. Instead, I urge you to join him" ahead of Trump's return to the presidency.
He begged "Republicans with integrity" to "step forward" to serve in an administration to ensure there are people who are "dedicated to the principles that hold this country together."
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He recalled Trump's impulses to upend Homeland Security, like the times he wanted to take away federal aid or to ally the U.S. with Russia on cybersecurity.
"Soon Mr. Trump will arrive at the White House not as an outsider, as he did for his first term, but as a man who sees his stunning re-election as vindication — a mandate to wield the presidency more assertively than before. He will return with fewer restraints and greater resolve," Taylor said.
Taylor said that laws should be followed by those working in a new Trump administration, whether the leader wants to follow them or not.
"It is not the job of those in his administration to defy him as a matter of course. But it is their job to follow the law and, if necessary, keep him from breaking it," said Taylor. "Believe me, he will try, whether deliberately or through sheer carelessness."
He explained that Trump needs people around him who have a "moral compass" and believe in national security.
"Broadly speaking, Republicans should go into his administration to do what we’ve always said we would: keep government limited and prevent abuses of power," Taylor said. "They might end up being the only reason Mr. Trump holds back from doing something unlawful — or at least, if they fail, they will be the only people to tell their fellow Americans the truth."