On The Fix, Aaron Blake talks about U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and her argument with her boss:
Nikki Haley might as well have called the White House a bunch of liars.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday rebuffed White House aides’ claims that she bungled an announcement of new sanctions against Russia. After Haley said Sunday that the sanctions were on the way by Monday, the White House appeared to change course and said a decision had not been made. But rather than an admission that President Trump had had a change of heart, word ventured out that Haley had gotten out over her skis. …
Not so, says Haley. And in fact, she said that even the more charitable explanation is wrong.
“With all due respect, I don’t get confused,” Haley said in a statement.
When I read that a couple of days ago, I wondered if Haley was on her way out. After all, Governor Haley was initially hired so her Lieutenant Governor, Henry McMaster, would be rewarded with the South Carolina governorship. Reports at the time suggested Haley didn’t much care for Trump. But she’s proven to be one of Trump’s best hires, a straight-ahead diplomat in the United Nations who represents traditional American interests – which is more than can be said for Trump.
I think, with this little tempest, that she’s showing backbone that will be appreciated in the future. She may, in fact, have higher ambitions, and this incident will play in her favor. The question may become whether there’s a party she can call home the next time an election rolls around – or if she’ll be part of the moderate Republican segment who chooses to breakaway from the GOP and form their own party.
