Q&A with 'Anonymous': Miles Taylor on his secret, why he didn't resign and more

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Washington Post

Leonnig: What motivated you to publish the op-ed?

Taylor: In the first year and a half of the administration, virtually everyone in the national security cabinet was spooked by the president’s behavior. From the White House to the Cabinet on down, what people were seeing with Donald Trump in the White House Situation Room, in the Oval Office, literally scared them. And they felt like he was really unstable.

For me, the breaking point for writing the op-ed was we flew on a trip to Australia, to meet with our “five eyes” intelligence community partners, and while we were there, in the middle of the night, I get a phone call from the White House. DHS just had the flag lowered around the country in honor of the late senator John McCain, which was right and appropriate, and no one thought anything of it. I was awoken in the night by the White House and our military aide frantically trying to get in touch with me and with the secretary to say the president is furious that the flags are lowered for John McCain and he wants you guys to order them raised back up.

It’s probably three in the morning at this point in Australia, and I literally felt sick to my stomach. That was like a gut punch in the middle of the night to be like, the man you’re working for now wants you to dishonor a man you’ve revered throughout your career. Over the course of that night into the next morning we went back and forth with the White House and said, “Look, we’re not going to do that. We’re not going to lower the flags unless we get a written order from the president.” People around the president, the White House, [chief of staff] John Kelly, and others, convinced the president how petty he looked, and convinced him to issue a proclamation instead for the flag to be lowered.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/anonymous-q-and-a/2020/10/29/21fe1d7e-1a2e-11eb-aeec-b93bcc29a01b_story.html

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[fleur-de-lisa]

1. But separating children from their parents

and putting them in cages wasn’t a red line for Taylor.

He’s a pig. Fuck that guy.

[groundloop]

2. I'll cut him a bit of slack for not resigning earlier, I've been in a similar situation

It's not easy just walking away from a job that you and your family depends on, especially if you don't have something else lined up first. You have a choice between holding your nose and continuing (with the possibility of maybe being able to do something to fix the problem) or walking away from your current job that supports you and your family.

I was in a similar situation several years ago with an employer that was asking me to take unethical and probably illegal actions. I had come to learn that this guy was trouble, and I'd already started looking for another job, but until I had a new job lined up I couldn't just walk away from the paycheck that fed my family. It's a hell of a difficult position to be in. I wound up getting fired when I didn't comply with his demands, and of course he made up all kinds of shit as to why I was fired. It took me over a year to find a new job and even longer to recover financially. Looking back I wish I'd have taken a stand and called him out for what he was asking, but in a situation like that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

It's very easy for everyone to look at Miles Taylor with ridicule for not standing up to tRump sooner and leaving, but as for me I'll cut him some slack and be thankful that he eventually came around.

[zentrum]

3. Your situation did not

……effect the health and safety of millions of people, the survival of Democracy and our standing in the international world. Etc.

This boss gave encouragement to racists. Put children in cages.

Could you have gone to the press like Taylor? He had allies.

I cut him no slack.

[Omaha Steve]

4. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

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