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As a reporter who's interviewed John Kelly on the record half a dozen times in recent yrs, few thoughts-current & former officials who have grave concerns or witnessed likely violations of law should clearly go on record, but we journalists have also enabled abuse of anonymity 1/
Kelly has gone on the record - at length, for hours - just days before he left the White House, from Afghanistan to 'palace intrigue,' Trump's pushing legal limits, 'the wall,' travel ban, and family separation. https://lat.ms/2EXpM6A @latimes 2/
Many criticisms to be had, but Kelly as DHS sec at least tried to make on-the-record press briefings regular part of business-he & staff like @DaveLapanDC would say wanted it to be like Pentagon press corps (when there were briefings there & sense of importance of public info) 3/
Struck @TheAtlantic by form of Trump's reported comments at Arlington - “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” In public comments Kelly often raises and answers a hypothetical: "Was it worth it?" to talk about service, with 2 sons following him into the Marines 4/
'A reporter, citing recent losses in Afghanistan, asked the same question Kelly said these families occasionally ask: “Was it worth it?” He gave the same answer: “Not my question. It’s his,” he said, referring to his son Robert. “He answered it.”' https://bit.ly/2GuYGnQ 5/
Kelly advised mil brass to stay out of "cesspool of domestic politics" (then dove or was dragged right in depending on perspective)-concerned that the military was being politicized amid Flynn, Mattis Mullen flirting with 2016 runs & tickets https://bit.ly/3ic5WCM 6/
