John Kelly Calls Trump’s Ukraine Call ‘Illegal Order’ That Vindman Was Taught To Report

Former Chief of Staff and retired four-star Marine general John Kelly is finally speaking up about Trump’s call to Ukraine and it’s bad. In a 75-minutes speech at Drew University’s Mayo Performing Arts Center on Wednesday evening, he describes Pres. Donald Trump’s call to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and “illegal order.”

Kelly’s most significant comments were about Colonel Alexander Vindman, who testified before Congress about the call. Kelly said that Vindman was doing what he was trained by the military to do, which is to report an illegal order, and more importantly, “don’t follow an illegal order.”

“We teach them, ‘Don’t follow an illegal order. And if you’re ever given one, you’ll raise it to whoever gives it to you that this is an illegal order, and then tell your boss,” Kelly said in his speech. 

“He did exactly what we teach them to do from cradle to grave,” Kelly told the audience. “He went and told his boss what he just heard.”

Although Trump reports (over and over again) that his call to Ukraine’s president was “perfect,” we all know it was not and now Kelly is finally coming forward to confirm what we believe.

As reported by The Atlantic, Kelly said this.

“Through the Obama administration up until that phone call, the policy of the U.S. was militarily to support Ukraine in their defensive fight against … the Russians,” Kelly said. “And so, when the president said that continued support would be based on X, that essentially changed. And that’s what that guy [Vindman] was most interested in.”

Kelly also criticized numerous other Trump deeds, such as pardoning war criminal Eddie Gallagher.

“The idea that the commander in chief intervened there, in my opinion, was exactly the wrong thing to do,” Kelly said. “Had I been there, I think I could have prevented it.”

Right. Because he prevented so many of Trump’s bad decisions. (sarcasm alert)

John Kelly also made it clear that he doesn’t agree that the press is the “enemy of the people.”

In addition to those things, Kelly has concerns about Trump’s efforts to denuclearize North Koria, calling it a waste of time since Kim Jong-Un will likely never give up his nuclear weapons.

“He will never give his nuclear weapons up,” Kelly said. “Again, President Trump tried—that’s one way to put it. But it didn’t work. I’m an optimist most of the time, but I’m also a realist, and I never did think Kim would do anything other than play us for a while, and he did that fairly effectively.”

Kelly indicated that it wasn’t even his idea to take the job in the Trump administration. Basically, he threw his wife under the bus, saying she urged him to go to work for Trump. Apparently, Kelly’s wife said, “I frankly think he needs you and people like you.”

What a farking hero you are, John Kelly.

Featured image via Wikimedia

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.