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Former NSC Advisor: Trump Admin is Making “Rookie Mistakes”

February 4, 2017

President Donald Trump wraps up his second week in office facing strained relations with foreign partners in addition to federal lawsuits and protests against his immigration ban. And people are questioning his decisions to give his top political advisor, Stephen Bannon, a formal active role in the National Security Council, a forum dedicated to protecting the nation from foreign threats. Former legal advisor to the NSC John Bellinger describes an administration that pushes back on political insiders and says the Trump team would benefit from coordinating with the rest of the executive branch. Bellinger has served as legal counsel under both Republican and Democratic administrations and considers himself a non-partisan observer. He joins Soledad O’Brien to discuss what he sees as a “rocky start” with  “rookie mistakes” and share his concerns that Trump will push too hard to work around the department he leads.

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