"Loyalty is great. Blind loyalty is deadly." Expanding on my #TransitionRules, based on having worked for RN in his retirement and for RR
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
Hugh Hewitt — himself a veteran of the Reagan administration so he knows what he’s talking about — offered Donald Trump some advice this morning as the president-elect begins the process of appointing thousands of people to oversee the federal government.
These rules, according to Hewitt, will help the new Trump administration avoid and early scandal and allow Republicans to move forward on their agenda.
They are, No 1: Be very, very careful who you pick (these names are Reagan appointees who became involved in scandals after they were chosen):
#TransitionRule#1: Many will call. Few should be chosen. Names from the #ReaganYears: Melvyn Paisley, James E. Gaines, Victor Cohen,
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
James Watt,Deborah Gore Dean, Philip Wynn, Thomas Demery, Emanuel S. Savas
Anne Gorsuch Burford,Rita Lavelle
Louis O. Giuffrida,— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
Fred J. Villella, J. Lynn Helms, Bob Nimmo, Peter Voss,J. William Netro. It's a partial list from 1 very successful administration, but each
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
became embroiled in scandal and each cost the president political capital which causing embarrassment and loss of focus, resources. Which
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
No. 2: Don’t hire the sons and daughters of your supporters and donors if they’re “not very bright”:
leads to #TransitionRule2: Don't bury friends of friends or donors in obscure agencies. Just say no. The not-very-bright or the sticky
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
No. 3: The federal government is much more complex from a regulatory perspective than private business, which can lead to a distracting scandal and write-up in the Washington Post:
the blink of an eye. Thus #TransitionRule3: If the applicant has never run everything successfully, assume they will screw up a govt job b/c
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
No. 4 is missing, but No. 5 is be careful with your loyal staffers — that’s who will “bring the most pain”:
the ethics rules and laws are so much more complex and obscure until the @washingtonpost calls. Which leads to #TransitionRule#5: It's the
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
most loyal staffer in the room who will bring the most pain. They are the ones with the blind spots, the "I can't fail" frenzy that will
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
sooner or later grow into a major scandal. And then the @washingtonpost will call asking for comment…which leads to the final
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
And finally, No. 6: Republicans will be treated differently than Democrats and you need to accept that now:
#TransitionRule6: The rules are different for Republicans and in the age of Twitter make sure everyone is Caesar's Wife. If you don't know
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
(Caesar’s wife: “A woman whose ethics shall not be questioned.”)
what that means, you shouldn't be reading #TransitionRules anyway, but vet, vet, vet and vet some more as the Left isn't going to sleep or
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
give @realDonaldTrump even a week of honeymoon. The bleeding begins the first day a target appears and "culture of corruption" isn't a band
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
Hewitt also advised Trump to reach out to his opposition as he builds the team:
From Machiavelli to Michael Corleone to Tony Soprana, it's always been wise to at least try to stay in touch with your opposition –the https://t.co/nMG8BoGwk8
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
And, more importantly, President Trump really isn’t in D.C. to burn it all down:
point is @realDonaldTrump isn't coming to sack the city like the Gauls or Charles V, or burn it down as the British did DC. He's there to
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
succeed for America, to make it prosperous and re-establish its global leadership and unite its people. Or did you not believe him Tuesday?
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) November 10, 2016
Good advice.
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