Far-right media outlets are worried they may lose Trump's attention
Kelly, a former US Marine Corps four-star general, is tasked with regulating an administration that has been accused of giving a platform to unfiltered information from conspiracy theorists and far-right media organizations.
With those outlets apparently being removed from the equation, some personalities on the far right believe their once-rising influence with Trump could be limited.
"I'm scared that the military complex is taking over the formerly populist White House," a writer for Gateway Pundit, a far-right news outlet, told BuzzFeed News.
Roger Stone, a Trump adviser and infamous right-wing political operative, said that Trump's "news summaries have been sanitized, which means no Infowars, no Daily Caller, no Breitbart."
"As such," Stone asserted, "his views are shaped by CNN and FOX News. He watches network news as well, which is almost antiquated."
In two memos, Kelly outlined his plan to establish a channel of information to Trump, Politico reported Thursday. White House aides were told that all materials for Trump, including news articles, first had to go through Robert Porter, the assistant to the president for policy coordination and staff secretary. Afterwards, Kelly would clear them before submitting the information to Trump.
Kelly also began limiting visits to the Oval Office for those who seek some face time with Trump. Kelly limited these visits to appointments only, according to The New York Times, with the exception of First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump. Ivanka Trump, the president's eldest daughter and senior White House adviser, would be allowed unplanned Oval Office time with Trump only in an unofficial capacity, The Times reported.
Both Ivanka and Jared Kushner agreed to Kelly's terms, according to two White House officials cited in The Times' report.
"Without a chain of command, everyone would litigate their pet issues with Trump when it was an open door policy," Mike Cernovich, a far-right commentator said to BuzzFeed.
One source with knowledge of the new developments said that Kelly's military-like precision was a welcome change. "The problem that this presidency has had is the sheer proliferation of bad information," the source said.
"That proliferation is a result of two things," the source added. "People who don't know what they're doing, and people willing to push bad information to further their personal agendas. It's one of the most important things to get your arms around."