Talked to a former Trump campaign staffer who has hired attorney in Russia probe and feels Trump himself should help pay for legal costs…
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 20, 2017
@Acosta "Yeah, I took a job with the Russian mafia. They really should have a better benefits package…"
— Peter Corless (@PeterCorless) May 20, 2017
You knew what he was when you signed up to work for him!
Apparently some of the people on his staff are more gullible than the people who thought he wouldn’t try to take away their health insurance https://t.co/bs7jlksjJN
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) May 20, 2017
A few thoughts from this staffer: "In many ways, the Trump Associates are the real victims here…" https://t.co/uJywsGhR3T
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 20, 2017
Same staffer: "The world going after them and Trump leaving them abandoned on the battlefield. Yet many lives will be ruined in the process" https://t.co/wieSZhNxW3
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 20, 2017
They’re not just politically, ethically, & personally rotten people, they’re also really fucking naive, & cartoonishly stupid.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) May 20, 2017
From the Washington Post, in its role as the paper for a company town whose monopoly industry is politics — “The worst job in Washington right now: Working for Trump“:
… Some White House staffers have turned to impeachment gallows humor. Other mid-level aides have started contacting consultants, shopping their résumés. And at least one senior staffer has begun privately talking to friends about what a post-White House job would look like, according to two people close to the staffer…
…[Trump’s] team is growing increasingly weary. Privately they say that the problem is not an incompetent communications shop, as the president sometimes gripes, or an ineffectual chief of staff, as friends and outside operatives repeatedly warn, but the man in the Oval Office, whose preferred management style is one of competing factions and organized chaos…
One Republican operative in frequent contact with White House officials described them as “going through the stages of grief.” Another said some aides have “moved to angry,” frustrated with a president who demands absolute loyalty but in recent days has publicly tarnished the credibility of his team by sending them out with one message — only to personally undercut it later with a contradictory tweet or public comment.
And a third said that others are sticking around purely for self-interest, hoping to juice their future earning potential. This Republican added that any savvy White House staffer should be keeping a diary. “The real question is, how long do you put up with it?” this person said. “Every one of those people could get a better-paying job and work less hours.”…
Are there no Koch-fueled conservative ‘think’ tanks? Are there no Mercer-paid ‘study groups’?
Take the word of Rick Wilson, “Republican political consultant for almost 30 years” — “If you work for Trump, it’s time to quit“:
…Whether you’re a 20-something fresh off the campaign trail, or a seasoned Washington insider serving in the Cabinet, by now you’re painfully aware that you’re not making America great again; you’re barely making it to the end of the daily news cycle before your verbally incontinent boss, the putative leader of the free world, once again steers the proverbial car into a ditch. On every front, you’re faced with legal, political and moral hazards. The president’s job, and yours, is a lot harder than it looked, and you know the problem originates in the Oval Office…
You learned quickly that your job isn’t actually to serve the nation, manage your agency or fulfill the role you ostensibly play according to the White House org chart. In reality, you spend most of your time fluffing Trump’s ego. Either that or you’re making excuses for not being a more aggressive suck-up. If you’ve been ordained to appear on television as an administration surrogate, you know by now that your task isn’t to advocate for your agency or issue, but to lavish the president with praise…
You already know you can’t save the president because he doesn’t want to be saved. You already know there’s not another, better version of Trump getting ready to show up. You’re smart. You’re loyal. You’re sniffing the wind like a gazelle, nose filled with the scents of predators. You don’t want to break from the pack too soon, but there’s greater risk in waiting too long…
Trump staffers celebrating a successful week on the east balcony of the EEOB. Red cups in view. pic.twitter.com/96pktruZEH
— HansNichols (@HansNichols) May 19, 2017
Open Thread: Bring on the Very, Very Tiny ViolinsPost + Comments (191)