Washington has a way of putting people in their place, especially those thought to be just a wee bit presumptuous. Enter Kris Kobach, the conservative firebrand, former Kansas GOP secretary of state, and onetime member of Donald Trump’s now-defunct voter fraud commission.
Kobach ran for governor in Kansas and lost to a Democrat…in Kansas. Now, he was being mentioned as Trump’s new “immigration czar,” a position created to coordinate between federal agencies. But then came Kobach’s list of demands before he’d accept the job, a list so over the top that it was leaked directly to The New York Times:
- 1. Office in the West Wing.
- 2. Walk-in privileges with the president.
- 3. Assistant to the President rank – at highest pay level for WH senior staff.
- 4. Staff of 7 people (2 attorneys, 2 research analysts, 1 scheduler, 1 media person, 1 assistant).
- 5. POTUS sits down individually with Czar and the secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, Ag, Interior, and Commerce, and tells each of the Secretaries to follow the directives of the Czar without delay, subject to appeal to the President in cases of disagreement.
- 6. 24/7 access to either a DHS or DOD jet. Czar must be on the border every week.
- 7. Ability to spend weekends in KS with family on way from border back to DC, unless POTUS needs Czar elsewhere.
- 8. Security detail if deemed necessary after security review.
- 9. Serve as the face of Trump immigration policy – the principal spokesman on television and in the media.
Meanwhile, back in Kansas the GOP is “prepared to intervene” if this immigration gig doesn’t work out and Kobach returns home to run for Senate, which he has threatened to do.