Jon Lerner removed his name from consideration as the National Security Advisor for Vice President, Mike Pence last week.
Shoes To Fill
Apparently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill vacant White House appointments with people who don’t dislike the President
Newsweek reports that President Donald Trump demanded Lerner’s removal from consideration as Pence’s National Security Advisor:
“Jon Lerner was about to become national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence until he suddenly withdrew his acceptance of the position amid reports of tensions in the White House over the appointment.”
How do we know that Lerner has not historically been a fan of the President?
Back in March of 2016, Politico reported that Republicans were busy mounting a bid to bring down Trump’s candidacy. Some high profile conservatives began funding a Super PAC whose very name was a dig at Trump’s basal ethics deficit.
They named the new Super PAC, Our Principles PAC. And right in the mix, steering the ship to derail Trump’s run for the Oval Office, was Jon Lerner.
Politico’s report made their intentions quite clear:
The main anti-Trump vehicle is Our Principles PAC, founded by former top Romney strategist Katie Packer. It received its first $3 million in seed money from Marlene Ricketts, the wife of the owner of the Chicago Cubs, but its circle of major donors has since expanded to include Paul Singer, Richard Uihlei, and Meg Whitman. Last week, the three participated on a conference call that focused on the super PAC’s efforts.
Behind the scenes but in the middle of the effort is Jon Lerner, a longtime Republican pollster and strategist who is helping to coordinate the anti-Trump offensive, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Lerner is a top strategist for the Club for Growth, which first began airing anti-Trump ads last fall in Iowa, and the pro-Rubio Conservative Solutions PAC. He also advises a number of the party’s top donors and is a top strategist for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has endorsed Rubio.
The Trump White House is a chaotic quagmire
It is rather embarrassing in a nation of millions that even Mike Pence finds himself unable to fill open positions on his staff with an appointment that can stomach his boss.
Featured Image by Mark Wilson / Staff/ Getty Images.
