TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Donald Trump is breaking records! Just not in a good way. More than one in three Trump administration staffers have left the White House in its first year, a pace that far eclipses the rate of departures in the previous five White Houses, according to a study done by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas of the Brookings Institute. The pace of resignations, firings and other assorted departures from the Trump White House is twice what it was in George W. Bush’s first year as president and triple that of Barack Obama’s first year in office. And, it’s not just any sorts of departures; a large number of Trump’s senior-most staff have left in the first year alone. Writes Dunn Tenpas:
‘Six of the 12 Tier One positions saw turnover… By comparison, Obama lost one adviser from Tier One (Greg Craig, White House counsel), and George W. Bush did not see any turnover in these high-level positions.’ And her paper came out in mid-January — meaning that Dunn Tenpas missed a number of more recent departures, including former staff secretary Rob Porter; Rachel Brand, the third-ranking official in the Justice Department; and speechwriter David Sorensen, all of whom left in the last week.
Look at this picture. It includes some people, like former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who were never at the White House, but who unceremoniously left Trump’s orbit. Others didn’t work directly at the White House, but have featured prominently in the Trump administration. And Manafort, by the way, has been charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with money laundering and filing false foreign lobbying reports. See if you can name all of the people — each one of whom has left the White House or Trump’s orbit — in it…. You get the idea. Lots and lots — and lots — of people have left this White House at very senior levels in a very short period of time…
There’s very little continuity or comity in the Trump White House. The staff turmoil and turnover shows no signs of slowing or stopping. Chief of staff John Kelly remains under fire for his handling of the Porter situation. Communications director Hope Hicks, who had been romantically linked to Porter, has come in for further scrutiny and criticism too of late. And it’s only Tuesday.”
-Chris Cillizza, “People are leaving the Trump White House in record numbers,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Feb. 13, 2018 12:25pm