White House Staffers Play the Blame Game as Purge Begins
The Republican Party’s midterm drubbing had aides and senior officials hitting D.C.’s bars hard and into the early hours.
Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
Donald Trump’s staff fled the White House on Tuesday night for a nearby bar to drown their sorrows and dole out blame for the Republicans’ midterm massacre.
As aides and advisers hit the whiskey three streets over from the building, a general consensus emerged that Susie Wiles, the 80-year-old president’s powerful chief of staff, has to go.
“The thing to remember is Susie took over the entire Trump apparatus,” a senior official told the Daily Mail. “The Republican National Committee chair is hers, people running the PACs are hers, Senate candidates are her friends, the Cabinet is hers.”
The president was apparently paralyzed with rage after his midterm drubbing.
Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images
“She’s the conductor of this orchestra,” they went on. “Anyone she would try to scapegoat would be a person she brought in.”
Other insiders told the newspaper that Wiles had repeatedly promised Trump a Republican win at the midterms even as the president’s approval ratings plummeted to 32 percent and his opponents gained a 9-point lead in the polls.
Insiders have said not just Wiles but also Hegseth could be for the chop.
Kevin Lamarque/Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
Democrats have now swept the House and Senate in a historic upset that promises to hobble Trump’s legislative agenda and place key figures in his orbit under intense congressional scrutiny for the remainder of his second term.
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The president fiercely denied reports that he called several allies last month to gauge opinions on who should replace Wiles after a string of scandals linked to members of her circle.
The president may also be gunning to throw Rubio under the bus.
OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images
But his own staff now believe she could be the first casualty of a coming purge as Trump seeks scapegoats for his party’s devastating losses in Tuesday’s contests.
Other names floating down the East Wing halls and above the ruckus at Washington’s bars include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Tonight would have looked very different without the Iran War,” one person told the Mail. “I believe you’ll ultimately see POTUS hold Hegseth accountable.”
“Rubio is over,” another added. “Though that’s maybe also true for all Republicans who touched Trump’s foreign policy.”
Yet a third offered an even grimmer prognosis. “If the boss is smart he’ll purge everyone tomorrow to save his legacy,” they said.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story.
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