Haley justifies Trump’s actions on Sunday news show

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley didn’t mince any words in defense of Donald Trump on Sunday morning.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week,” Haley was questioned about the president’s actions, including Tuesday’s firing of James Comey as director of the FBI. Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was direct in her defense.

“The president is the CEO of the country. He can hire and fire whomever he wants,” Haley said of the man who appointed her to serve as the chief diplomat to the U.N. “That’s his right. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s the truth.”

Trump’s sudden firing of Comey last week drew sharp criticism because it came amid the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. No White House aide appeared on the Sunday news shows, and Haley was one of the few members of the administration to appear as a surrogate for the president.

Haley said “no one has talked to me” about Comey’s firing. That didn’t prevent her from justifying his authority to make the decision.

“Were there better ways he could’ve done it? That’s for everybody else to decide. But we have to remember, he can hire and fire anybody else he wants,” Haley said.

Haley did hit on a similar tone to something Trump tweeted on Friday, when he posted “As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!....”

On Sunday, Haley said “I think what you can see is this is a president of action. He is not one who is going to sit there and talk for too long.

“If he thinks something’s wrong, he’s going to deal with it. I think the reason people are uncomfortable is because he acts. He doesn’t talk with a bunch of people before, he just acts.”

Haley wasn’t the only prominent South Carolina Republican to weigh in on the president on Sunday morning. Sen. Lindsey Graham said selecting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to “reset.”

“It’s now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or has such a reputation that has no political background at all that can go into the job on Day 1,” said Graham. “The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created,” he said, adding, “I have no evidence that the president colluded with the Russians at all ... but we don’t know all the evidence yet.”

When addressing the subject of Russia, Haley said a testing process is still taking place between the Kremlin and the Trump administration.

“I think the Russians are trying to figure out what to do,” Haley said. “I don’t think they know what to do with our president. I don’t think they know what to do with the situation. They’ve been isolated when it comes to Syria, and they’re trying to figure out what their place in the world is going to be, and we’ve shaken that.”

Haley and Trump haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, especially during the 2016 presidential campaign. But Trump did praise Haley’s performance at a recent lunch with 14 ambassadors of countries on the U.N. Security Council – after joking about her job security.

Trump asked the other ambassadors if they liked Haley, saying if they didn’t, “she could easily be replaced.”

The comment sparked some awkwardness, but seemed to be taken in jest. Haley and others gathered around the lengthy table laughed.

Trump quickly assured Haley her job was safe. “I promise, we don’t do that,” Trump said, and praised Haley for doing a “fantastic job.”

Haley is currently the president of the Security Council, a job that rotates monthly between the five permanent members of the council; the U.S., Britain, China, France and Russia.

Haley has been one of the Trump administration’s most vocal members, taking a tough line on Russia and Syria and telling North Korea not to give the U.S. “a reason” to fight.

Haley, a Republican from Lexington, served as South Carolina’s governor for six years before resigning to join the Trump Administration.

It was reported that Trump asked Comey to make a pledge of loyalty to the president, and his refusal to do so was part of the reason for his dismissal. When questioned if a similar oath was asked of her, Haley said no, with a qualification.

“No, but I think when you take the job, you automatically assume that you work for the president and you are part of the team. Loyalty is a big thing. As a former governor I can tell you loyalty and trust is everything.

“So I can understand why he’s looking for loyalty and trust. … You never forget who’s in charge.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Haley justifies Trump’s actions on Sunday news show."