The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency

by Chris Whipple

Kelly himself dismissed the notion that he would discipline the president. “I was not brought into this job to control anything but the flow of information to our president so that he can make the best decisions,” he said in the White House press room. “I was not brought in to control him.” The remark betrayed Kelly’s ignorance of the chief’s most important duty: telling the president what he does not want to hear. “I thought it might be a smart thing to say publicly for the boss to hear,” said Bolten. “But to actually give up on that function I think is a huge and dangerous mistake. As chief of staff, you don’t tell the president what to do. You don’t substitute your judgment for his. But if he’s behaving in ways that are detrimental to his presidency, it’s part of your job to step in and try to correct that.”