So we're operating under a very different process here with this president, who is trying to apply, I think, an approach that he used in the private sector to the presidency. He likes to do that - doesn't follow a process, keeps the staff in his Cabinet in disruption. With this president, frankly, all of that has gone out the window. And they all abided by the rules and traditions of the office of the presidency, which provides some degree of predictability. Yes, there were changes, but overall, there was stability in the staff operations. They all brought on personnel who were experienced and qualified and maintained some degree of stability. And despite their political differences, they all believed in an organized process for developing policy. PANETTA: Well, you know, in my 50 years of public life, I've served in some capacity under nine presidents, going back to my time as a military officer - five Democrats and four Republicans. In fact, he said that - after he announced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's departure - that he was, quote, "getting close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want," unquote.ĭoes that sound right to you? I mean, is that something that happens in other administrations where - particularly somebody who doesn't have a lot of experience at this level - that they get actually to the White House, and what they think they need in a particular position is different from what they first envisioned? So could this be something that we're used to seeing except perhaps on steroids? MARTIN: Well, the president seemed to say that this was kind of just his getting closer to the Cabinet that he envisioned. It's tough enough when you have a stable staff at the White House, but it's almost impossible when you have an unstable staff, not knowing whether they're going to be there the next day, to be able to handle a number of crises that have to be dealt with by the president. PANETTA: (Laughter) Well, it's hard to say. MARTIN: Now, you've seen turmoil, you know, before.
Secretary Panetta, thanks so much for speaking with us. He served as secretary of defense and was White House chief of staff to President Clinton. Wake up America in November and stop this nonsense.We spoke earlier about the turbulent week here in Washington - the firings, the Cabinet reshuffling, the rumors about who's next - so we decided to talk more about this with someone who's worked in Washington at many levels - Leon Panetta. Imagine giving a big tax cut to one or two percent of the country but cutting off the January raise for a lot of federal employees because we can't afford it. leaders don't even go by what he says, they go by what he does because they're afraid to disagree.Īmerica, get rid of these lies, corruption, being divided over everything and even dividing the country. He has no respect for anyone, no manners at all (may say anything at any time), and no responsibility (does what he wants as long as it suits him). That was a lie, but it did make him look good. But he did get five minutes of glory saying the matter was resolved. North Korea is still making nukes, so they say. No one knows except him what he gave Putin, but Putin went back to Russia happy. Russia and North Korea have played him like someone beating a drum. I bet there are very few countries around the world where he is welcome. stations and even our allies across the world. He attacks the F.B.I., the C.I.A., our immigration system, newspapers, T.V. They are supposed to look out for the country. I've never seen anyone so thin-skinned or paranoid that wants to attack anyone who disagrees with him. Never before in any White House have you seen so much turmoil. "So corrupt." He himself probably has a lot of lawsuits against him. Some had to quit for illegal use of taxpayer money like our President going to play golf at his resorts every weekend at our expense. Half of them are under investigation or have been indicted. It seems as though he hired the best crooks. If there ever was a deep state against Donald Trump, he has brought it on himself.