A completely misleading headline, and story, that seeks, once more, to Make Trump Look “silly’;
Another example of low level bureaucrats, exposed for the first time to the heady atmosphere of day-to-day presidential business, and handle it like pre-teen children…
Trump wanted to SELL Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria claims his ex-HHS Secretary – and says she was stunned by president’s response to crisis which claimed almost 3,000 lives in US territory
– Elaine Duke was “Acting” as “Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary” for one summer in 2017 while John Kelly was Transiitioning to the job of White House Chief of Staff
– She Did Not, in Fact , Say that Trump “Wanted to Sell Puerto Rico”!
– In what in other Administrations would be considered a President’s expression of thoughts and ideas with a trusted staffer; and thus an ‘off the record’ exchange to solicit reactions and other considerations, Ms. Duke apparently thought Trump’s comments were examples of his “erratic behavior” and that she would exhibit her importance and stature by sharing them with a media source.
– As this story eventually notes, Duke’s “so-called “revelation” was not that Trump Wanted To sell Puerto Rico”! “He asked”, she said, “CAN we outsource the electricity? CAN we ‘sell the island’?…or, ‘Divest of that asset’? And, SHE ADDED, “Trump Never Seriously Discussed Selling Puerto Rico After That Comment”. “The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,'” she recalled.
– Such childish behavior, to share confidential conversations with the media to enhance one’s public persona and at the same time denigrate an elected president, seems to be commonplace in Donald Trump’s administration. As the N Y Times Reported: “The former acting secretary of homeland security joins a growing list of former senior officials disgruntled by Trump’s erratic nature when handling his presidency.”
– It is another story about one of the government bureaucrats who served briefly in the Trump administration.
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This is the story from the Daily Mail as it appeared under the sensational headline shown above: dlh
• The revelation was made by Elaine Duke, who took over the role during John F. Kelly’s transition to White House Chief of Staff in 2017
• ‘The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,’ she recalled
• Duke added: ‘Can we outsource the electricity? Can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?’
• The lifelong Republican did add that Trump never seriously discussed selling Puerto Rico after that comment
• As Hurricane Maria made its way toward Puerto Rico, Duke argued for emergency declaration before it made landfall
• She said Mick Mulvaney, then the budget director, pushed back at the idea
• Mulvaney denied that he made the statements
By MATTHEW WRIGHT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 12 July 2020
Elaine Duke, former secretary of homeland security during the summer of 2017, said President Donald Trump was interested in ‘divesting’ or ‘selling’ Puerto Rico as it struggled during Hurricane Maria.
Duke, who had been with the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense for 30 years, filled the role during John F. Kelly’s transition to White House Chief of Staff in 2017.
She served in the role for four months before Kirstjen Nielsen was confirmed as Mr. Kelly’s permanent successor.
The former acting secretary of homeland security joins a growing list of former senior officials disgruntled by Trump’s erratic nature when handling his presidency, the New York Times reports. `
Duke, who had been with the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense for 30 years, filled the role during John F. Kelly’s transition to White House Chief of Staff in 2017.
She served in the role for four months before Kirstjen Nielsen was confirmed as Mr. Kelly’s permanent successor.
‘The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,’ she recalled of Trump’s comments regarding Puerto Rico. ‘Can we outsource the electricity? Can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?’
The former acting secretary of homeland security joins a growing list of former senior officials disgruntled by Trump’s erratic nature when handling his presidency, the New York Times reports.
Duke was especially taken aback when the president made the suggestion to sell the island.
‘The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,’ she recalled. ‘Can we outsource the electricity? Can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?’
The lifelong Republican did add that Trump never seriously discussed selling Puerto Rico after that comment.
Duke served in the administration as Hurricane Maria struck but also as the Trump administration imposed a travel ban on mostly Muslim countries and ended DACA.
While Duke was in favor of some of the president’s measures to tighten immigration security, she expressed disappointment that Trump’s message went from ‘America First’ to ‘America Only.’
Duke fondly remembers passing out water to homeless people in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, following the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. But she was not thrilled by sentiments expressed by Trump and his aides.
As Hurricane Maria made its way toward Puerto Rico, Duke argued for an emergency declaration before it made landfall. But she said Mick Mulvaney, then the budget director, pushed back at the idea.
‘Quit being so emotional, Elaine, it’s not about the people, it’s about the money,’ she said Mulvaney told her.
Mulvaney denied making the remarks.
‘I never made such a remark,’ he told the Times. ‘My experience with the acting director was that she rarely got anything right at D.H.S. At least she’s consistent.’
While she was happy the president would later express sympathy for Puerto Rico, she grew frustrated when Trump engaged in back and forth with local politicians from the island on Twitter.
‘My thought process for both sides is all the negative energy is a distraction,’ she said.
Duke felt that she was often outside the core group of White House advisers.
‘There is a singular view that strength is mean,’ she said, ‘that any kind of ability to collaborate, or not be angry is a weakness.’
The former senior official is currently unclear on whether she plans on voting for Trump again.
‘That’s a really hard question,’ she said. ‘But given the choices, I don’t know yet.’
It is estimated 2,975 people died in the storm that left the island without fresh, running water and no electricity in the longest power outage in U.S. history. However, controversy surround official tolls of the lives lost during the hurricane.
