--- title: John Kelly's Civil War Comments Defended by White House description: The White House defended Chief of Staff John Kelly's remark that the Civil War happened because of "the lack of an ability to compromise." canonical: https://time.com/5004382/john-kelly-white-house-civil-war/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-31T20:05:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:03:50.226Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'All of Our Leaders Have Flaws.' White House Defends John Kelly's Comments on Robert E. Lee og:description: "Just because history isn't perfect, it doesn't mean it's not our history." og:url: https://time.com/5004382/john-kelly-white-house-civil-war/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1428bd66d59ee1d/6988e40f0a4a22d2e69d0878/gettyimages-868701958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3858 og:image:height: 2170 og:image:alt: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Briefing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'All of Our Leaders Have Flaws.' White House Defends John Kelly's Comments on Robert E. Lee twitter:description: "Just because history isn't perfect, it doesn't mean it's not our history." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1428bd66d59ee1d/6988e40f0a4a22d2e69d0878/gettyimages-868701958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'All of Our Leaders Have Flaws.' White House Defends John Kelly's Comments on Robert E. Lee > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 31, 2017 8:05 PM UTC  White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at the press briefing at the White House in Washington DC on October 31, 2017. White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at the press briefing at the White House in Washington DC on October 31, 2017. Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 31, 2017 8:05 PM UTC The White House defended Tuesday Chief of Staff John Kelly’s [remarks that the Civil War happened](http://time.com/5003580/john-kelly-lack-compromise-civil-war-robert-lee/?xid=homepage) because of “the lack of an ability to compromise” and that Confederate general Robert E. Lee was an [“honorable man.”](http://time.com/5003742/john-kelly-donald-trump-robert-e-lee/) Speaking at the daily press briefing, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated previous defenses of historical figures from the Confederacy which came up after President Trump made similar points in August. “All of our leaders have flaws,” Sanders told reporters. “That doesn’t diminish their contributions to our country, and it certainly can’t erase them from our history. General Kelly was simply making the point that just because history isn’t perfect, it doesn’t mean it’s not our history.” Kelly’s comment on Fox Monday evening that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War, and men and women of good faith on both sides made their stand where their conscience had them make their stand,” [echoed various comments](http://time.com/5003742/john-kelly-donald-trump-robert-e-lee/?iid=sr-link4) by Trump on the Civil War and racism in America. Trump said in May that [Andrew Jackson could have made a deal](http://time.com/4707867/donald-trump-henry-clay-andrew-jackson/) to prevent the Civil War; he was roundly criticized in August for saying that there was [“blame on both sides”](http://time.com/4902144/donald-trump-charlottesville-blame-both-sides-kkk-nazi/) for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia; and he has [argued that statues of Confederate leaders](http://time.com/4904510/donald-trump-twitter-confederate-statues/) should not be taken down. Sanders said Tuesday that it is “outrageous and absurd” for the press to “push that this is a racially charged and divided White House,” and she mirrored the president’s own language on Civil War history. “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” [Trump tweeted in August](http://time.com/4906163/trump-confederate-statues/), “You can’t change history, but you can learn from it.” “There are moments that we are going to be a lot less proud of than others,” Sanders said, “but we can’t erase the fact that they happened.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5004382/john-kelly-white-house-civil-war/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5004382/john-kelly-white-house-civil-war/"},"headline":"'All of Our Leaders Have Flaws.' White House Defends John Kelly's Comments on Robert E. 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