Trump's credo is "Get Even"
by digby
Via TPM:
“Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, who has testified under oath, is serving on the National Security Council currently,” CBS News’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan said during her interview with O’Brien. “Will he continue to work for you despite testifying against the President?”
“Well look, one of the things that I’ve talked about is that we’re streamlining the National Security Council,” O’Brien replied. “It got bloated to like 236 people up from 100 in the Bush administration under President Obama."
The national security adviser said Vindman, who currently serves as the council’s Director for European Affairs, will be removed as a part of the White House’s “streamlining” efforts.
“My understanding is he’s–that Colonel Vindman is detailed from the Department of Defense,” O’Brien said. “So everyone who’s detailed at the NSC, people are going to start going back to their own departments and we’ll bring in new folks.”
When Brennan asked O’Brien to confirm that the decision is not retaliation against Vindman, whom Trump has baselessly accused of being a “Never Trumper,” the national security adviser’s response was that he personally had never retaliated against anyone.
“I never retaliated against anyone,” he said. “There- there will be a point for everybody who’s detailed there—that their time, that their detail will come to an end.
[...]
Trump has attacked him and other witnesses amid the investigation, baselessly claiming that they are “Never Trumpers.” Last week, Trump threatened to release information on Vindman “real soon” that supposedly proves that the colonel is anti-Trump.
Right:
Trump: Some of the people who have been the most loyal to me are the people I didn't think would be. The people are the most disloyal to me are the people, I think I would have treated them differently. I would have wiped the floor with the guys that weren't loyal, which I will now do, which is great. I love getting even with people.
Charlie Rose: Hold up. You love getting even with people?
Trump: Oh absolutely. You don't believe in the eye for an eye? Yeah you do, I know you well enough, I think you do.
Rose: No. ... So tell me. You're going to get even with some people because of ...
Trump: If given the opportunity, I will get even with some people who were disloyal to me. I mean, I had a group of people that were disloyal ...
Rose: How do you define disloyal?
Trump: They didn't come to my aid and do small things ...
Rose: Did they turn their back on you?
Trump: No, but they didn't do small things that would have helped ... you see, I'm so loyal to people, maybe I'm loyal to a fault. But I'm so loyal that if somebody is slightly disloyal to me I look upon it as a great act of horror.
Vindman's twin brother also works at the White House handling ethics issues. Let's see if he's transferred out as well.
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