Mattis Expected to Be Tapped by President Hillary Clinton. He Got Trump Instead.

[DonViejo]

The outgoing defense secretary had a good rapport with the 2016 Democratic nominee. Not so much with the president he ultimately worked for.

Erin Banco,
Asawin Suebsaeng
12.21.18 5:53 PM ET

During the 2016 presidential campaign, James Mattis predicted that he would be courted to serve in a Hillary Clinton administration in the likelihood that she would win the presidency. Instead, Mattis ended up working nearly two years as Secretary of Defense for Donald Trump, a president who routinely undermined his own national security team and would mock Mattis by calling him a “Democrat” or “Moderate Dog.”

Mattis' resignation on Thursday, though abrupt, came as no surprise to those who knew him and had worked alongside him in the Pentagon.

In a series of meetings with colleagues at the beginning of the administration, Mattis said he was originally surprised to get a call from the Trump team asking him to take the post of defense secretary, according to two sources with who attended those meetings. He told several people that had Clinton won the election, he thought he would have agreed to serve on her team.

According to three former Clinton campaign advisers, the former secretary of state and Mattis had a very positive relationship, predating the campaign. Though no final decisions were made on who would serve as the defense secretary in a Clinton administration that never happened, Mattis was still someone Team Hillary regarded highly.

Mattis and senior Clinton staffers stayed in touch during the presidential campaign, and the former advisers said they solicited his advice on foreign policy and national security matters. The 2016 Clinton team even tried to recruit Mattis to publicly endorse Hillary for president against Trump. According to two of these sources, he politely declined, though conveyed to the campaign his respect for Clinton.

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/mattis-expected-to-be-tapped-by-president-hillary-clinton-he-got-trump-instead?ref=home

[Ninga]

1. When it comes to the welfare of our country, it does NO good for NOBODY NO HOW to

"Politely decline" endorsing a presidential candidate even though you may have respect for that person.

Really?

[oberliner]

2. Why did he "politely decline" to endorse Hillary for president against Trump?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Kick