...As Kelly Twists, A Chaotic Search For A New Chief of Staff Engulfs The West Wing- Gabriel Sherman

[DonViejo]

“A DEATH MATCH”: AS KELLY TWISTS, A CHAOTIC SEARCH FOR A NEW CHIEF OF STAFF ENGULFS THE WEST WING

Different factions are pushing their own candidates: Javanka wants Cohn, Hannity pushed Wayne Berman, Trump wanted Mulvaney or Barrack. But who would take the job?

BY GABRIEL SHERMAN
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 12:04 PM

With the Rob Porter scandal into its eighth day and showing few signs of abating, Donald Trump is seriously mulling replacing his chief of staff, John Kelly, three sources close to the White House said. In recent days, Trump has floated names like White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney and longtime friend Tom Barrack, a real-estate developer. Meanwhile, factions inside and outside the White House are lobbying Trump to go with other potential choices. The battle to decide who could replace Kelly has reopened the deep fissures in Trump’s divided West Wing. One adviser to the White House referred to the current atmosphere inside the administration as a “death match.” With Kelly’s truthfulness about the former White House secretary widely questioned, few believe he can survive, but he may twist for a while.

The situation remains fluid. Last night, for instance, three Republicans told me that Trump had offered the job to Gary Cohn. But in a conversation with Sean Hannity yesterday, Trump said he had not chosen Cohn, a person close to Hannity told me. Another source said Republicans have warned Trump that choosing Cohn, a New York Democrat, would cause a backlash in the party.

One reason why Kelly still has a job is simply that it’s been so difficult for Trump to find a qualified person who actually wants to be chief of staff. Mulvaney and Barrack have indicated they aren’t interested. “Mulvaney doesn’t want it. His goal is run for governor or land a corporate gig,” speculated one White House adviser. “And his thinking is, if you’re Trump’s chief of staff, you stain yourself for the future.”

According to two sources, Trump has also discussed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The two have become close in recent months and had dinner together in Florida. “He’s a loyal guy,” Trump said of McCarthy, according to one outside adviser. In the past, McCarthy has expressed interest in being chief, even suggesting that the White House recruit a Hollywood producer to improve the production values of presidential events. “The president needs better messaging,” a Republican recalled McCarthy saying. But people who have recently spoken to McCarthy say he’s lost interest. McCarthy harbors ambitions to be the next House Speaker and has told people he’s worried that Republicans would blame him if he were serving as chief during a midterm rout by Democrats. “He knows there will be a revolution against him,” one Republican who’s spoken with McCarthy said.

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https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/as-kelly-twists-a-chaotic-search-for-a-new-chief-of-staff-engulfs-the-west-wing

[awesomerwb1]

1. McCarthy is Stephen Miller

not sure if lite, on par, or on steroids considering he's actually a congresstool.

[sdfernando]

2. Or more appropriately a "congres-STOOL" /NT

[kimbutgar]

3. Im surprised Karl Rove hasnt come out from under his rock and applied for the job

Thank god he hasn’t.

[Sherman A1]

4. What about Nunes?

He seems to be a good choice.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Anyone stupid enough to take the job will screw it up quickly.

So, there's a plus for us.