Republican Candidates

Pence’s Former National Security Adviser Praises Trump’s ‘Bold’ Leadership

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Pence’s Former National Security Adviser Praises Trump’s ‘Bold’ Leadership
Keith Kellogg, national security adviser to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Katabella Roberts
8/8/2023
Updated:
8/8/2023
0:00

Former national security adviser Keith Kellogg has praised former President Donald Trump’s leadership style while criticizing Republican 2024 presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Mr. Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general in the U.S. Army who served as Mr. Pence’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2021, shared the glowing review of Mr. Trump in an Aug. 7 statement on Truth Social.

“I’ve worked alongside many leaders in my years of service to this Nation. Among them, President Donald J. Trump stands apart as a figure of unwavering determination, a deep vision for America, and the courage to take a stand where others wilt. His bold and dramatic leadership style during his Presidency resulted in significant achievements for our country,” Mr. Kellogg wrote.

The former White House official stressed that while he respects Mr. Pence’s service to the country during his time as vice president, he was disappointed with his recent actions regarding his 2024 opponent, Mr. Trump.

Amid the latest federal indictment against Mr. Trump relating to his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Pence’s 2024 campaign has begun selling merchandise branded “too honest,” apparently a reference to the 45-page indictment against the former president.

The indictment, which charges Mr. Trump with criminal conspiracies to defraud the United States, to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding—the Jan. 6 certification of the electoral vote—and conspiracy against the rights of citizens, includes a quote allegedly from Mr. Trump aimed at Mr. Pence after the latter said there was no constitutional basis for him to reject or return vote tallies from states Mr. Trump was still contesting.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

‘Too Honest’

According to the indictment, Mr. Trump allegedly told Mr. Pence, “You’re too honest,” before calling on his supporters to back him in his efforts to contest the election results.
While Mr. Pence has said he is unsure whether or not Mr. Trump actually committed any crime in relation to the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, the former vice president has also repeatedly insisted that Mr. Trump, who is the frontrunner in the Republican 2024 presidential race, outright asked him to overturn the election.

Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges listed against him in the latest indictment.

“It is not the decisive leadership that we have seen from President Trump,” Mr. Kellogg said of Mr. Pence’s latest actions, before stating that the former vice president lacks “assertiveness.”

Former President Donald Trump pauses for cheers from the crowd before speaking as the keynote speaker at the 56th Annual Silver Elephant Dinner hosted by the South Carolina Republican Party in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 5, 2023. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump pauses for cheers from the crowd before speaking as the keynote speaker at the 56th Annual Silver Elephant Dinner hosted by the South Carolina Republican Party in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 5, 2023. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Trump ‘Unafraid to Challenge the Status Quo’

Mr. Kellogg, who was initially named as acting national security adviser after the resignation of Gen. Michael Flynn in February 2017, said he believes Mr. Pence’s actions and leadership style are ultimately “not what Republican voters want.”

“President Trump’s dedication to the prosperity and security of the United States is unwavering, as is his vision for the future,” he wrote. “I believe in the future President Trump envisions. A future that demands bold and decisive leadership, something we have seen in President Trump but not from the former Vice President.”

Multiple polls show Mr. Trump is leading in the 2024 Republican primary race with a nearly 50-point lead over Mr. Pence.