CABINET/DEFENSE/TRUMP PEOPLE/JAMES MATTIS: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis appears to be at odds with President Donald Trump on Russia and other key issues, setting up potential discord but also helping to nudge the White House toward more conventional policy stances.
In recent days, other top administration officials have aired foreign-policy views that don’t align perfectly with the new president. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, for example, have suggested a tougher line with Russians, demanding they de-escalate violence in Ukraine.
But it is Mr. Mattis who has differed with the president on the most issues. And while that could set up a clash with a White House that has said those who don’t agree with the president should leave, the defense chief seems to have had the most success in prodding Mr. Trump away from some of his positions.”
– Gordon Lubod and Julian E. Barnes, “Despite Policy Differences, Jim Mattis Has Trump’s Trust,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 21, 2017