Politics

John Kelly Says He ‘Probably’ Would Have Worked In A Clinton White House If Asked

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

William Davis Contributor
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President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Gen. John Kelly said Wednesday that he probably would have worked for a potential President Hillary Clinton had she asked him to, saying that service to the country is more important than politics.

The Gold Star father made the comments during a Q&A session at Duke University, which ABC News was able to obtain an audio recording of. (RELATED: Here’s Who’s In The Mix To Replace John Kelly)

“If I had gotten the call — if Hillary Clinton won the presidency and she had called and said, ‘I really need a good chief of staff here,’ I’d have probably done it,” Kelly said. “Politics aside, it’s all about governing the country.”

U.S. President Donald Trump applauds after a ceremonial swearing-in for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst | John Kelly Comments On Russia Probe

U.S. President Donald Trump applauds after a ceremonial swearing-in for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst | John Kelly Comments On Russia Probe

When asked what advice he would give to current White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Kelly jokingly said, “Run for it,” but then continued more seriously, saying Mulvaney should tell Trump “what he needs to hear.”

Brian Fallon, a CNN contributor and former communications director for Clinton’s campaign, once called Kelly “odious” on Twitter after Kelly gave a briefing on the president’s decision to call the families of four soldiers killed in Niger in 2017.

“Don’t be distracted by the uniform.” Fallon wrote “Kelly isn’t just an enabler of Trump. He’s a believer in him. That makes him as odious as the rest.”

A four-star general in the U.S. military, Kelly served as Trump’s chief of staff for roughly 17 months, before leaving the White House at the start of 2019. Prior to his time in the West Wing, Kelly served as the secretary of Homeland Security for the first six months of Trump’s administration.

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