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If personnel is policy, as Ronald Reagan once told his staff — and conservatives have told themselves ever since — then it seems Sen. Bill Hagerty is preparing to take up the work of the now departed administration.
Previously the U.S. ambassador to Japan, the Tennessee Republican just hired 13 displaced staffers from the former administration to turn his office in the Russell Senate building into a little Trump citadel. The hires are notable because they come at a moment when some Trump aides are having a hard time finding work and as the GOP searches for its post-Trump identity.
“Not only does the team I have assembled in my Washington office augment the strong on-the-ground state organization announced this month, they also bring a wide array of experiences and qualifications that will serve our state and the country well,” Hagerty said in a statement. “Under John Rader’s leadership, and with the senior team I have assembled, I’m confident this talented group will work above and beyond to serve the needs of Tennesseans and our Nation.”
The John Rader in question is the former deputy assistant for strategic initiatives at the White House. He also served as a senior policy adviser to Trump while working on the National Security Council. Those two posts suit Hagerty, who hopes to make use of his foreign policy experience in the Senate.
A dozen other Trump alumni will now go to work for the newly minted senator. Two names stand out immediately: Judd Deere, former White House deputy press secretary, who will serve as Hagerty’s deputy chief of staff for communications, and Julia Hahn, former deputy White House communications director, who will serve as senior communications director.
Stacking a Senate office with so many Trump alums immediately drew attention, and Deere had a statement prepared for reporters:
“Senator Hagerty ran on and told the people of Tennessee to send him to Washington to build on the successes of President Trump, and there is no better way to do that than by hiring the best from the outgoing administration. The Senator also wanted to hire the most talented people in their respective fields, and he is fortunate that these individuals with decades of combined experience — particularly on issues related to foreign policy and the economy, top priorities for Hagerty — were excited to join his staff and serve the American people.”
Trump influenced the Tennessee Senate race. Hagerty told RealClearPolitics last January that he discussed his run with the president, and sought his endorsement while on the golf course. “There were,” he added, “several conversations off the fairway.”
The freshman lawmaker now seeks to pick up and carry on the Trump policy agenda with an emphasis on immigration and foreign policy. A former senior White House official borrowed a familiar phrase from the former president, telling RCP that the hiring spree reflected “a commitment to follow through on helping the Forgotten Americans.”
This is good news in Trump World. Normally, White House credentials are a ticket to corporate and lobbying gigs, if not other government roles. But that stock has fallen since the president’s contentious exit.
“It’s really sad to see so many accomplished, skilled and hard-working people that others in politics are attempting to blacklist purely because of political animus,” the official said. “They want to serve their country and they don’t deserve to just be shut out of a future career because of some people’s animosity toward the person they worked for.” But 13 of those Trump staffers have now found a new home with Hagerty.
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