Trump leveled by Dem lawmaker for purging 'disloyal' officials so he can surround himself with a 'team of sycophants'

Appearing on CNN's 'New Day," with host Alisyn Camerota, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) hammered President Donald Trump for ordering the purge of government employees and appointees deemed disloyal to his administration -- saying the president wants to surround himself with a collection of yes men and women.

Reacting to a report from Axios that Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has compiled a list of Trump-supporting fringe characters like former Sheriff David Clarke and Fox News personality Dan Bongino for high-profile administration positions, the Democrat expressed his disgust.

"New reporting from Axios says the Trump White House and its allies over the past 18 months assembled detailed lists of disloyal detailed officials to oust and trusted pro-Trump people to replace them," Camerota said, introducing the segment. "This is according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the effort to spoke to Axios. The White House does not have any comment yet on this report."

"What are voters and our viewers to make of this report that not only the president in the White House but also State Department, Defense, Homeland Security, getting rid of people who have ever expressed dissent or trying to and stocking it with President Trump's loyalists?" she asked the Illinois Democrat.

"I think the public should read it this way," Quigley responded. "The president wants a team of sycophants instead of a team of rivals and that should be scary. Retired Navy admiral -- just this weekend Bill McRaven talked about if people like [ousted acting Director of National Intelligence] Joe Maguire can't speak the truth, we should all be afraid."

"It's understandable," he admitted. "No president likes to be given information or intelligence that doesn't comport with their policy -- a president's policy, any president, may work or may not work, if it doesn't comport to reality it cannot work."

"If we're dealing with something that isn't the truth, we are less safe," he continued, before addressing the president if he was watching, saying, "While the president may seem to believe in a deep state, Mr. President, there is no deep state, you are the state, and you need to hear the truth."

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