 |
| I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. |
Republicans are growing concerned that the staffs of Donald Trump and Mike Pence are starting to feud, the latest trouble to hit a White House that has spent months battling crisis after crisis.
They worry that any rift could be delaying decisions, distracting aides from their already stalled legislative agenda and could lead to more infighting and leaks, problems that have plagued the White House since Inauguration Day.
A half-dozen Republicans, including four who advised or worked for Trump’s campaign or transition and are still in contact with their former colleagues, said they think the two sides are talking less, disagreeing more and occasionally bad mouthing each others’ bosses. One said the staffs are “walled off” from each other. Several of the Republicans asked to not speak publicly because of the sensitivity of the situation.
“There is clearly tension between the two staffs,” a former Trump adviser said. “There’s so much internet chatter. That’s going to fuel the animosity.”
Republicans say it’s only natural that some of the president’s aides are reconsidering who they can trust as the White House continues to reel from an undisciplined president and multiple inquiries into whether Trump associates joined Russia in meddling in the presidential election.
“The administration doesn’t know who to trust,” Republican strategist Michael Steel said. “When you’re under attack the circle tightens.”
At the same time, Republicans say, some of the vice president’s aides say they are frustrated over Trump’s many self-inflicted wounds, some of which the conventional and even-keeled Pence is forced to try to explain away as he looks to smooth over hurt feelings with members of even his own party.
“Trump does something and Mike Pence has to do cleanup,” Republican strategist Doug Heye said. “That can be very frustrating for staff.”
You know I've been waiting for this, because you knew it had to happen.
Mike Pence only signed onto this three ring circus because he probably believed that the ringmaster would probably end up imploding and leaving him to run the show.
However though Trump is shooting himself in the foot almost every single day there is no sign that he will leave voluntarily, or that the Republicans in the House and Senate have the will to remove him forcibly.
That leaves Pence careening down the tracks on a runaway train that may never completely lose its grip on the tracks.
So what is Pence to do?
Continue on as the good soldier in the hope that in the end he will be rewarded?
Or does he start to sabotage from within in order to hasten the end of the Trump presidency?
Ooh, ooh, I vote for number two.
And even if Pence is not engaging in those types of behaviors I wonder how Trump will respond if he starts to believe that he is?
By the way, on a completely different topic, who do you think keeps leaking information to the media about what is happening inside the White House?
Source http://ift.tt/2t5Q2mp
