Olivia Troye, the homeland-security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence who served as Pence’s deputy on the White House coronavirus task force and went public last week with the allegation that President Trump never took the pandemic seriously except insofar as it affected his re-election chances, this week found herself publicly rebuked by a former superior.
Keith Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who serves as Pence’s national-security adviser, stated at the briefing-room podium that Troye had been not only fired but escorted, by him, out of the White House, aligning himself with Pence and other administration officials who have sought to characterize Troye as the latest disgruntled former employee:
Troye was quick to present an alternative version of events, resurfacing a social-media post suggestive of her having left on far friendlier terms:
Lawfare managing editor Quinta Jurecic quipped that a challenge coin had never been so useful:
Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Homeland Security Department who, like Troye, has offered an on-camera testimonial for the group Republican Voters Against Trump, called Kellogg’s denunciation of Troye a lie, and part of an epidemic of untruths:
Taylor told CNN on Tuesday that both Pence and Kellogg had given him glowing reviews of Troye’s on-the-job performance.
As to the specific question of whether Kellogg marched Troye out of the White House, it need not go unanswered for long, observed Clinton-era press secretary Joe Lockhart:
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