Where's Mick? The Hands-Off COS Was In Las Vegas During Nat'l Emergency Debacle

By JILL COLVIN and Zeke Miller

March 16, 2019 9:10 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump struggled with mounting Republican defections over his emergency declaration to pay for a border wall, his acting White House chief of staff wasn’t on Capitol Hill cajoling former colleagues or in the West Wing making calls.

Instead, Mick Mulvaney was in Las Vegas for an annual getaway with friends and family.

It was a telling example of Mulvaney’s laissez-faire approach as he settles into a role that has bedeviled those who came before him.

His predecessor, retired four-star Gen. John Kelly, tried to micromanage Trump but ended up grating on the president and antagonizing outside allies. Mulvaney has made clear he believes his job is to manage the staff and not the president, according to current and former officials and people close to him. And he’s OK with that.

Mulvaney doesn’t try to limit whom the president speaks with or curb access to the Oval Office. He just asks that those who talk to Trump fill him in on what was discussed to avoid surprises. While former staffers compare the current atmosphere in the West Wing to the early, chaotic days of the administration, when the Oval Office had the feel of Grand Central Station, Mulvaney understands that’s how Trump likes it.

more
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/mulvaney-in-las-vegas-national-emergency