WASHINGTON — A Democratic congressman said Friday President-elect Donald Trump appears to have a “back-stop” on his team who is “more normal” than other people he’s surrounded himself with.
But he worries about what happens if they leave — or get ignored.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) voiced many worries about the incoming Trump administration when he talked to Raw Story.
Among those is Gov. Kirsti Noem (R-SD) who is being tapped to run the Department of Homeland Services. Kildee called her “an amateur.”
“Historically, not always, but generally speaking, these picks are a mix of some political, but mostly people with deep policy substance, especially on the national security front,” he said.
“Not always on the other stuff, for sure. The other departments are a mix of politics and policy, but the national security stuff is life and death seriousness,” Kildee told Raw Story while at the U.S. Capitol.
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He mentioned Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who was a moderate for a time until there was a radical shift toward the end of the first Trump term. She was nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
“It’s just weird,” he said of her “transformation.”
“It’s a toxic combination of a lack of depth and a lack of conviction. That’s a little scary.”
But, he said, handling the day-to-day White House will be Trump’s campaign manager Susie Wiles as the chief of staff — and he expressed hope that she might be a more sensible guiding force.
Kildee called her “more normal.” But his concern is, “How long will she last, and how much influence will she have?”
“If there’s a back-stop that’s where it is. These guys are not going to be a back-stop,” he said of the long-time Trump loyalists.
Kildee concluded that, “When [Trump] says he’s going to do something, at least he’s going to try. I don’t think he bluffs on stuff like that when it comes to settling scores.
“But as much as he’s blown up the norms and institutions, I think he could overreach.”