Trump aide Keith Schiller is on his way out according to sources who leaked to CNN. The Oval Office operations director is citing financial reasons for his departure— the $165,000 annual salary was apparently a step down from his previous gig. Unfortunately for President Trump, Schiller is one of his long-time loyalists, a crossover from Trump’s past business career to his political present. Previously, Schiller was on the payroll of Trump’s KS Global Group, which is in charge of his security and campaign details.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has denied that Schiller is resigning, That might be because Schiller’s real reasons for backing out have less to do with a $100,000 decrease in income and more to do with clashes with new chief of staff John Kelly. That says a lot considering Schiller’s long-time loyalty to Donald Trump. He’s been close to not only the President, but the Trump family. He defended Trump over issues large and small, including that time that a press group accidentally knocked over a lamp at the White House. He’s also tangled up in the Senate’s probe into possible collusion with Russia by the Trump administration.
Schiller has been in Trump’s camp since 1999. The NYPD alum has served as Trump’s personal confidant and bodyguard for decades. The anonymous sources indicate that Schiller doesn’t appreciate his history with Trump being preempted by John Kelly’s new limitations for access to the POTUS. That’s par for the Trump administration’s course, as the President balances the influence of long-time loyalists he’s brought to the White House with the experience of political and military establishment who he as recently appointed.
(Via CNN)