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(CNN) - Former White House secretary general John Kelly said that before leaving the White House last year, he warned President Donald Trump not to hire a replacement not to tell him the truth or go to trial politician, Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
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Kelly, a retired general from the Marine Corps, said during an interview at the Sea Island Summit political conference, organized by the Washington Examiner this weekend, that if he had stayed as secretary, Trump would not be in the midst of the current inquiry. , which implies that the White House advisers could have avoided it.
“I said, whatever you do, and we were still in the process of trying to find someone to take my place. I said 'whatever you do, don't hire someone who says yes to everything, someone who doesn't tell you the truth, don't do that,' ”Kelly said. "'Because if you do, I think you will go to a political trial."
Kelly's comments come after his successor, now interim secretary Mick Mulvaney, blatantly confirmed, and then denied earlier this month, that Trump froze nearly $ 400 million in US security assistance to Ukraine in part to pressure That country to investigate the Democrats.
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The White House and Mulvaney did not respond to requests for comment.
Kelly also suggested that the Trump administration could have avoided the current investigation into the president, Examiner reported.
“Someone has to be a guide who tells [the president] with authority 'Mr. President, don't do it,” said Kelly, adding that “the system that should be in place, clearly, the advisory system, the incorporation of experts and conversations with the president so that he can make an informed decision, that is clearly not in place. ”
Kelly also said that in light of the investigation, "I feel bad about leaving."
"That was almost 11 months ago, and I have a lot of doubts, to say the least, about leaving," he added. "It hurts to see what is happening because I think if I was still there or someone like me was there, I wouldn't be a little everywhere."
CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Kevin Liptak and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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