The Trump administration had a major staff shake-up Monday when Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser and reports continue to suggest that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus might be the next man to go.
Politico reported Monday that several Trump campaign aides have started creating a list of possible new chief of staffs. The report came a day after Newsmax founder and Trump friend Christopher Ruddy said in an interview with The Washington Post that it’s his view that “Reince is the problem.”
“I think on paper Reince looked good as the chief of staff — and Donald trusted him — but it’s pretty clear the guy is in way over his head,” Ruddy said.
Ruddy later backtracked his comments and told his own outlet, “I’m hearing from a number of senior people today that President Trump very much likes the job Reince Priebus is doing and has no intention of replacing him.”
Trump himself said Monday, “Reince is doing a great job. Not a good job. A great job.”
Breitbart, however, cited multiple sources close to President Trump in a report Tuesday and said that Priebus is indeed in job trouble.
“Specifically, multiple sources close to President Trump with internal knowledge of White House operations told Breitbart News on Monday night that the buck stops with Priebus when it comes to the botched rollout of the executive order temporarily banning most travel to the United States from seven nations with a history of exporting terrorism and temporarily halting the refugee program,” Breitbart reporter Matthew Boyle wrote.
Two current White House staffers, chief strategist Stephen Bannon and his assistant Julia Hahn, are former colleagues of Boyle. The Breitbart story quoted a source that said, “Reince really has not done enough pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to move faster” with getting President Trump’s picks for the cabinet approved.
White House press secretary Spicer pushed back against this, telling Breitbart, “What are you talking about? What possibly could have been done to get Sessions done quicker? Is there some way he could have made Democrats vote?”
A longtime Trump confidante, Roger Stone, also voiced his displeasure with Priebus Tuesday. He tweeted, “Reince’s purge of Flynn a ‘Pearl Harbor’ for Trump loyalists. Hope the midget is ready to rumble.”
