JOHN MCCAIN/LEAKS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The leak of a White House press aide’s flippant comment about John McCain’s brain cancer has uncorked long-simmering tensions in the communications and press offices, with staffers anticipating potential personnel changes to come as soon as Friday [5-18-18]. The furor over White House aide Kelly Sadler’s remark set off jockeying within the West Wing and among former administration officials and close advisers to the White House to lay blame on others. Among officials, there’s a sense that a few staffers will pay the price, even if there’s no evidence they were involved in the Sadler leak. In this White House, one former administration official said, media stories can become so intense and frequent that they ‘hit a critical mass,’ turn into an echo chamber, and something must be done to stop the negative headlines and the president’s displeasure.”
-Nancy Cook, “White House staff brace for personnel moves after leak,” Politico, May 17, 2018 6:29 pm