White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller threw a temper tantrum on live television Tuesday while tunelessly singing the praises of Elon Musk’s disastrous Department of Government Efficiency.
When faced with even the simplest questions about DOGE, Donald Trump’s former immigration ghoul couldn’t keep his cool long enough to make it through an interview on CNN.
Host Brianna Keilar asked Miller to clarify who was responsible for removing 300 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday, before the Department of Energy had frantically rescinded the terminations the next day.
“So then, who is it making those decisions of which federal employees are terminated?” Keilar asked.
“Well, in that case the secretary of energy would be the one. So, what you’re describing would be the cuts in the Department of Energy, those are directed by the Senate-confirmed secretary of energy,” Miller replied.
“OK, so that was the secretary of energy’s mistake?” Keilar pressed.
“Well, I wouldn’t use the term mistake,” Miller said about the obvious error.
“I would say that it’s pretty standard when you’re downsizing government, you make cuts, you assess those cuts. You see who needs to be rehired, you see who needs to be kept, who needs to be reevaluated,” Miller continued, adopting Musk’s inane view that the best way to downsize was to cut off limbs of the system, and then simply wait to see whether it stops working—or something blows up.
“That’s not what happened here, though, Stephen. You know that. They were rescinded,” Keilar said.
“These are all normal things,” Miller continued.
“These aren’t normal things,” Keilar pushed.
“I understand that even a temporary interruption in federal employment is a great crisis and catastrophe for you, and for CNN,” Miller bit back, his mask slipping with a cold grin.
Keilar: There were 300 employees of the national nuclear security administration. They were fired. The agency had to resend those terminations. Who is it making those decisions? Miller: Well, in that case, the secretary of energy would be the one. Keilar: So that was the… pic.twitter.com/TCQO7o6MYl
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 18, 2025
Keilar continued pushing back on Miller’s assertion that the DOGE cuts were a personal crisis, but an incensed Miller struggled to let her get through another question.
“Well, if I don’t think it’s a crisis, and you don’t think it’s a crisis, then why are we talking about it?” Miller fumed.
“It’s not my crisis, Stephen. I’m not a federal employee,” Keilar said.
As Miller continued to tout the supposed success of DOGE, he started screaming when Keilar wouldn’t say what he wanted her to.
“You may assert there’s no waste in the Pentagon!” he said. “You may assert there’s no waste in Treasury! You may assert—”
“Oh, Stephen, I’m not asserting, [I] don’t think anyone would assert that, Stephen,” Keilar interjected.
“Then WHY ARE YOU NOT CELEBRATING THESE CUTS? If you agree there is waste, if you agree there is abuse, if you agree there is corruption, why are you not celebrating the cuts, the reforms that are being instituted?” Miller cried. “Every day that no action is taken the entire salary of American workers that are taxed disappears forever.”
“Stephen, let’s calm down,” Keilar said. “We’re not having a debate—”
“Well, you are clearly trying to debate ME!” Miller glowered. “And I will be… as excited as I want to be about the fact that we are saving Americans billions of dollars.”
Keilar tried to ask Miller about whether DOGE employees would be able to access taxpayer bank accounts and personal information at the Internal Revenue Service. But again, he lost it.
“They will not be able to access anything that any other appropriately authorized federal employee could access,” Miller snapped. “When you keep talking about ‘DOGE employees,’ you’re just talking about federal workers!”
“Your question may as well be ‘can federal workers do their job?’” Miller fumed.
“No, that’s not what I’m asking,” Keilar interjected.
“Well, I’m telling you that that’s actually what you are asking!” Miller spit back.
When asked whether the research information systems (RIS) data would be used in Trump’s massive deportation scheme, Miller ranted a resounding, and incredibly hostile, yes.
“I’d have imagined that CNN, which has endlessly talked about the importance of democracy and the rule of law would say that no class in this country should be above the law, least of all illegal aliens who have trespassed on our territory!” he shouted.
“Stephen, I’m just asking,” Keilar said. “I wanted to get your position on some things, we’re not taking a position here.”
“It doesn’t sound to me like you are in fact indifferent or unbiased on these questions, but thank you,” Miller fumed.
The post Stephen Miller Crashes Out Trying to Defend DOGE appeared first on New Republic.
