GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/JOHN KELLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WHITE HOUSE STAFF: “House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows wrote a secret memo last month about how House Republicans could counter Democratic plans to investigate and potentially impeach Donald Trump. Now, the president is eyeing the North Carolina Republican — one of his closest allies on Capitol Hill — to replace outgoing chief of staff John Kelly, in part because of that insight…perative who’s made it his mission to defend Trump from embarrassing headlines. Meadows and his best friend, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a Fox News TV star and hero on the right, have almost single-handedly pushed Republican chairmen and GOP leaders to start counter-investigations of the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation, a key talking point for Trump, who has panned the probe as a ‘witch hunt.’ The duo is often on TV assailing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and touting Trump’s legislative achievements. And with Mueller closing in on Trump and newly empowered Democrats eager to highlight scandal out of the West Wing, Meadows’ knowledge of Congress and willingness to fight for him have appealed to Trump, White House insiders say.”
–Rachael Bade, Kyle Cheney and Eliana Johnson, “Meadows would give Trump a skilled brawler in the White House,” Politico, December 10, 2018 1:23 pm