According to a former Reagan White House official, Vice President Mike Pence needs to hire a strong chief of staff to help him clean up the mess in the White House if Donald Trump steps down or is forced from office.
Ed Rodgers, who served as a campaign consult to the late President Ronald Reagan explained that current turmoil in the White House will lead to a crisis.
"The crisis or catastrophe caused by the dysfunction has not happened yet. No one knows what the crisis is going to be. But we are living in perilous times," he warned.
He suggested that Pence needs to pick a serious adult to help straighten out a White House that has seen nothing but chaos for two years. As we near the end of the year, Trump is being criticized for the partial government shutdown, withdrawing troops from the Middle East and the resignation of Jim Mattis.
"The vice president’s office is already known in Washington as 'the pod of normalcy,' based primarily on Pence’s own sound judgment and calm demeanor," he wrote. "His office is populated with good people who are capable, get along well with each other and are not part of the wild dramas constantly emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave."
He added, "But now, the White House needs ballast. It needs more seasoned experts who bring gravitas to the administration at a time when it seems to be teetering."
He suggested that Pence select former solicitor general Ted Olson. Or maybe Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) He noted that in case there is a serious crisis that there needs to be serious and responsible people who can actually handle them.
"A guy such as Olson would be ready and reassuring if we faced a constitutional crisis. Someone such as Kyl, along with acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, would have trust and credibility among congressional leaders from both parties," he said.
He added, "The vice president would be doing a service by reinforcing his office with an experienced chief of staff, in case something extraordinary happens."
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