Report: Trump Has Had It With Homeland Security Chief

He's seeking Nielsen replacement, sources say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2018 7:19 AM CST
Report: Trump Ready to Ditch Homeland Security Chief
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, left, speaks with Border Patrol agents near a newly fortified border wall structure Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Calexico, Calif.   (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has fallen out of favor with President Trump and could be replaced before she makes it to the one-year mark on Dec. 6, the Washington Post reports, citing "five current and former White House officials." The sources say Trump has grown frustrated with Nielsen's progress on border issues and becomes impatient whenever she tries to explain the legal issues that would prevent proposals like completely shutting down the border with Mexico. The insiders say Trump scrapped a planned border visit this week and told aides he wants Nielsen gone as soon as possible. Some of the sources believe an announcement on replacing Nielsen could come within days.

Trump has slammed Nielsen to other White House officials, calling her a "Bushie" because of her service in the George W. Bush administration, according to the Post's sources. They say Chief of Staff John Kelly is fighting to have Nielsen stay on, though it's not clear how long Kelly himself will remain in his job. The officials say Trump is seeking somebody who will "implement his policy ideas with more alacrity," and they hope the fourth Homeland Security chief in two years will at least have some executive experience. Nielsen would be the latest in a line of high-profile White House departures, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Hill notes. (In June, people protesting the border separation policy Nielsen defended heckled her as she dined in a Mexican restaurant.)

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