I think Mattis and Kelly are telling Trump lies about what they told Woodward.

[OAITW r.2.0]

A simple reason...they know Trump would fire them in a second if they said they did tell Woodward these quotes. I think they are a firewall to keep Trump in check while Mueller continues to build his case. Woodward will not release any tapes that contradict what Mattis and Kelly actually told Trump because all 3 are actively trying to limit Trumps options on further destroying this country.

[brush]

1. Well we know Kelly is just a racist liar from his attacks on Rep. Frederica Wilson...

for which he never apologized.

I give Mattis more credit for reigning in trump's destructive foreign policy impulses (kill Assad for instance).

Kelly should've resign long ago when he got shunted aside but I guess he likes those double-dipping checks.

[Roland99]

2. Of course they are

[unblock]

3. and that's one of the reasons why donnie's management style is so incompetent

trying to rule by fear and chaos, he creates an environment where everyone feels the need to lie to him to protect their jobs, to leak to the press to sell their ideas to him, etc.

no one could get a good result out of a staff under those conditions.

[Autumn]

4. Mattis and Kelly are very much a part of Trumps administration.

Like Trump they are two faced, racist, asshole Republicans. They are not a firewall to keep that asshole in check. They. Are. Trumps. Men.