Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday he appreciates why Defense Secretary James Mattis is resigning his position, but that doesn't mean he slept well after hearing the the news.
"I said in a speech at the Reagan Library that I sleep better at night with Jim Mattis on the wall," Johnson told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"I didn't sleep very well last night."
When one resigns, they leave the burdens of their office and decision making to someone who may not be as sensitive, and "so I think the bar has to be pretty high before a cabinet member chooses to resign, because the mission goes on one way or another...
"I can only imagine, having worked there, there are thousands of people in the Pentagon right now who are very, very depressed and disappointed," said Johnson.
He also commented on the looming government shutdown, saying that no matter what wall might be built, it might not be enough anyway.
"Ask any expert and they will tell you what we need on the southern border is is more surveillance, more roads, more boats, more planes, possibly more Border Patrol agents, but very few of them mention a wall," said Johnson.
"We actually have is a wall already in places where it makes sense to have a wall. You can build a 10-foot wall and 10,000-foot mountain, but someone will build an 11-foot ladder to get over it."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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