Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended President Donald Trump over his choice to name former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as his new chief of staff.
Spicer was responding to a tweet by progressive California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee who on Friday accused the president of "militarizing the White House," calling Kelly an "extremist," the Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
"By putting Gen John Kelly in charge, Pres Trump is militarizing the White House & putting our executive branch in the hands of an extremist," Lee tweeted Friday.
Spicer, who resigned his position last week, took issue with Lee's claim, tweeting Saturday, "Not only is this wrong, it's offensive on multiple levels."
Kelly, who had been serving as Homeland Security Secretary, is a retired Marine general. He is the second military officer to join Trump's administration, the other being national security adviser H.R. McMaster, a retired Army general.
Spicer's defense follows a White House staff shakeup. He resigned after Trump last week named former financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. On Friday, the president announced former chief of staff Reince Priebus was stepping down and named Kelly as his replacement.
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