Skip to main content
Tags: tony shaffer | blaine holt | donald trump | 2024

Shaffer, Holt to Newsmax: Trump Right to Vet Potential Appointees

By    |   Friday, 01 December 2023 05:47 PM EST

Former President Donald Trump is right to pre-screen thousands of potential appointees and employees should he win back the White House, mostly because he did not do a thorough enough job in his last administration, retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Friday.

Multiple media outlets reported The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 is designed to help Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, transform the federal government overnight if he wins the 2024 election.

"He was badly fooled by the Republican establishment when he took office," Shaffer told "The Chris Salcedo Show." "He left Reince Priebus [then-White House chief of staff] in charge of hiring, which was a huge mistake. He went against the recommendations of a number of us.

"He did listen to some recommendations; I personally recommended he retain, and he did retain, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joe Dunford, so he got part of it right, but a lot of it wrong.

"I don't think Trump wants to make the same mistake twice. As a matter of fact, I know he doesn't. The idea of vetting, of actually examining both credentials and the idea of someone being through their oath of office ...  is something that is not only important, it's necessary to prevent the undermining of his policies that happened during his last administration."

Holt said it's important that Trump not only weed out left-wing extremists, but also establishment Republicans, members of the uniparty and "the old people's gang in the swamp."

"This isn't just a party thing," Holt said. "This is a, 'if you won't adhere to your oath of office and support the president, then we expect your resignation.' He didn't get it right the first time out of the gate. Many of us saw some of the picks and cringed.

"This process is much more reasonable as we go through the year. They should know just exactly who they're hiring because, let's face it, they've got a lot of clean-ups to do. They've got a lot of purging to do."

About NEWSMAX TV:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!

  • Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
  • Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com

Michael Katz

Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
Former President Donald Trump is right to pre-screen thousands of potential appointees and employees should he win back the White House, mostly because he did not do a thorough enough job in his last administration, retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and retired Air Force...
tony shaffer, blaine holt, donald trump, 2024
398
2023-47-01
Friday, 01 December 2023 05:47 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved