Pitched as Calming Force, John Kelly Instead Mirrors Boss’s Priorities<br />“The real issue is understanding really who John Kelly is,” said former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta,<br />a Democrat for whom Mr. Kelly worked at the Pentagon during President Barack Obama’s administration.<br />But Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, who recommended Mr. Kelly to Mr. Trump last winter, said the retired<br />general’s background gave him an understanding of the dangers and drawbacks of unfettered immigration.<br />Mr. Kelly decided himself to head out to the White House briefing room to defend the president, colleagues said,<br />and most of his remarks reflected on his own experience as the father of a slain Marine and the nature of military service.<br />Mr. Kelly, she said, was not “the savior or the hostage.”<br />Other Democrats have expressed alarm at Mr. Kelly’s views on immigration.<br />Mr. Kelly not only expressed willingness to curb refugees coming into the country — in the end, Mr. Trump lowered the cap to 45,000<br />— he embraced Mr. Trump’s various attempts to close the border to visitors from a group of predominantly Muslim countries.<br />During a June meeting, Ms. Harris and Mr. Kelly engaged in a contentious back-and-forth as she questioned him about Trump administration threats to cut off funding for so-called sanctuary cities<br />that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.<br />While some officials had predicted Mr. Kelly would be a calming chief of staff for an impulsive president, recent days have made clear<br />that he is more aligned with President Trump than anticipated.
