Trump's New Chief of Staff Rattles White House in Crisis Mode

[demmiblue]

Source: Bloomberg

President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has escalated tensions in the White House with a swift series of staff changes that have drawn complaints from some in the West Wing about his management style, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump changed his top aide last month just as the U.S. coronavirus outbreak began to accelerate. After a slow start -- Meadows didn’t resign his North Carolina House seat until the end of March -- the new chief of staff kicked off his tenure by ousting a top legislative liaison last week and then, on Monday, replacing the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham.

Meadows brought in Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany as press secretary and also installed two loyalists in the communications operation, Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah and his top congressional aide, Ben Williamson.

Other aides may depart in the near future, including the chief of domestic policy, Joe Grogan, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-08/trump-s-new-chief-of-staff-rattles-white-house-in-crisis-mode?sref=yYYRek8e

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Link to tweet

[TeamPooka]

1. racing to the bottom of the barrel.

[barbtries]

18. Meadows is a republican from NC.

Since I live here I feel no compunction when I say that NC Republicans ARE the bottom of the barrel.

[SheltieLover]

19. Well Stated!

I thought the shit show was already through the bottom of the barrel & half way to the center of the earth. Somehow, they always find ways to go even lower. 🤮

[Ohiogal]

2. Amazing

Amazing they can still find anyone left willing to join that shit show.

[c_junk]

8. It's just proof...

That you can always scrape a little more off the bottom of the barrel...

[RussBLib]

27. Money, baby

"We'll cut you in on some of the billions were going to steal."

[NBachers]

3. When do we get to the WH knife fights, gun battles, and deadly ambushes part of this storyline?

Paging Mr. Shakespeare

I want to see dozens of labeled chalk outlines on the White House carpets.

[ChazInAz]

23. I keep thinking of my favorite of his plays.

MacBeth. I've been in several productions of the Scottish Play, usually getting murdered somewhere along the line, once coming back from one of those demises in an especially ghastly banquet scene. Trump has none of the horrible grandeur of MacBeth, just an assassin's low cunning.

[Volaris]

26. He doesnt even possess that, or hed at least tell better lies.

Hes not exactly a 'skilled assassin'. He's the political equalivant of Suge Knight in a cheaper suit.

[Leghorn21]

4. GOOD, this info makes my day!!

FUCK YOU ALL

NOT KIDDING

[bullwinkle428]

5. IOW, we all have dairy products in our fridge that will outlast Meadows' tenure as COS!

[ashredux]

12. LOL!!!!!!!

[kimbutgar]

6. Let it blow and expose the orange cretin for the failure he is.

When you surround yourself with smart people it shows when you surround yourselves with idiots things go bad fast. It’s obvious MF45 is in over his head. His cult members are gone but those on the fence will wake up finally.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

7. Meadows' style mirrors Fat Donnie's, who says he likes chaos.

He can then pick and choose from the cacophony until he hears something that reinforces a belief he already has, and say, "Many people have told me."

I once told my fundamentalist friend that there was no Hell; after today's dog-and-pony presser I called her and said I was considering changing my mind.

[SeattleVet]

9. Only the best people.

Yeah, right.

[Cartoonist]

10. How about "rotating the bus tires"

Kinda fits

[CanonRay]

11. You'd think the assholes remaining in the White House

would be used to dealing with assholes by now.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Meadows lies and cheats. Style? He fits right in

Although West resigned after the employees accused him of inappropriate behavior, he remained on the House payroll in violation of House rules, according to an independent House Ethics Committee investigation. Meadows paid West $58,125 from April 2015 to August 2015 even though he was no longer working in Meadows's office. There is "substantial reason to believe that Representative Meadows retained an employee who did not perform duties commensurate with the compensation the employee received and certified that the compensation met applicable House standards, in violation of House rules and standards of conduct," the Office of Congressional Ethics report said.

Prior to December 2018, Meadows claimed to have received a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] When questions about his credentials arose during media speculation that he was under consideration to serve as White House chief of staff, Meadows amended his official House biography and other sources to indicate that his degree was an associate, not a bachelor's.[2]

In November 2018 the House Ethics Committee fined Meadows over $40,000 after concluding he "did not do enough to address" sexual harassment allegations against West. The committee concluded Meadows took "immediate and appropriate steps" by separating West from female staffers and requesting an investigation, but noted that West retained his title and "apparent authority over staff" during this period. "Representative Meadows could have and should have done more to ensure that his congressional office was free from discrimination or the perception of discrimination," the committee wrote. The committee fined Meadows $40,625 "for Mr. West's salary that was not commensurate with his work." The Daily Beast previously reported that a former aide told the committee Meadows and other top staff members in his office were aware of West's behavior before it was publicly reported.[39]

While running for office in June 2012, Meadows said, "2012 is the time we are going to send Mr. Obama home to Kenya or wherever it is," implying that President Obama was not born in the United States. He made a similar comment later that month. When asked about his comment, Meadows said it was "a non-issue", "probably a poor choice of words on my part" and that he ultimately believed that Obama was an American citizen.[64]

[Laelth]

29. What a charming human being. n/t

-Laelth

[LudwigPastorius]

14. Excuse my French, but what the fuck did they expect when they signed on...

to work for Trump?

I mean, his TV catchphrase is, "you're fired".

These ruthless, right-wing assholes worm their way into the White House with stars in their eyes, thinking it's their ticket to the gravy train, and they're surprised when an even bigger ruthless, right-wing asshole eventually kneecaps them?

Stupido!

[elleng]

15. GOOD!

Make EVERYONE's walk OUT the White House door FASTER than it might be otherwise, BEFORE January!

[UpInArms]

16. Musical deck chairs on the trumptantic

eom

[Progressive Jones]

17. All I see is the win of one less Southern Republican in Congress. nt

[SergeStorms]

20. So........nothing has changed then?

S.N.A.F.U. at the Trump White House.

[George II]

21. trump has probably fired more people than all other 44 previous presidents combined.

[Captain Zero]

22. More proof Trump could not

Run a car wash.

[Marcuse]

24. It is almost impossible for trump appointees to obey Law #1, but Meadows just might.

[The Polack MSgt]

25. They all climbed in the sty to cuddle up to that pig

They should've expected getting sprayed with its shit - eventually they all will wish for showers

[OAITW r.2.0]

28. Rearranging the deck chairs?

Who doesn't want a chair on the observation deck to watch the SS Trumptanic hit the reality iceberg?

[Marie Marie]

30. We all know that Trump is a Narcissist and and we can add that anybody that continues

to work for him is a Masochist. Sick bunch of incompetents.