Although Donald Trump and most of his entourage are still on his first foreign trip, it sounds like the team will hit the ground running next week. They’re apparently all fired up to get some work done soon because — surprise — this Russia thing did not evaporate in the president’s absence. On that note, a new report from Reuters says that Trump’s planning to establish a “war room” to fight not only the Congressional investigations into the Trump campaign’s communications with Russia but also the new special counsel (whose very existence outrages Trump) appointed by the Department of Justice.
In addition, the president is also planning on a shakeup to bring some new blood on board. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus will still be around, despite rumors that conflict had arisen between the two men. Even Fox Business noticed that Priebus departed the foreign trip several days early and returned to D.C. Alas, he came back to work on the war-room party, which will prominently include Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner (who is, um, “under scrutiny” in the FBI probe), and an old familiar face:
Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, will be involved in the new strategic messaging operation, as will Steve Bannon, another top adviser who specializes in managing Trump’s populist appeal and shaping his political image, the sources said. Bannon and Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, have been laying the groundwork for the plan this week, they added.
Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, is also expected to be part of the effort. Lewandowski, who has been seen in the White House recently, could join the administration as early as next week, a source close to him said.
Lewandowski made a name for himself through his stormy disposition and plenty of showmanship after Trump fired him. If he’s really coming back — and we should know next week — news coming out of the White House could grow even more chaotic. At any rate, the idea of a “war room” doesn’t play so well from a public relations standpoint, and god only knows Kushner doesn’t have enough responsibility already. The question remains though … will he and Bannon get along, or will there be another showdown?
(Via Reuters)