‘War room’ in Russia battle
Political professionals, more lawyers to handle the investigation
After US President Donald Trump returned from his overseas trip, the White House plans to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations involving Russia and his presidential campaign, tackling head-on a scandal that has threatened to consume his young presidency.
Mr Trump’s advisers are planning to establish a “war room” to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November’s presidential election, while bringing new aides into the White House, administration officials and persons close to Mr Trump said.
The strategic shake-up comes as Republicans in Washington increasingly have fretted that the probe, continued chaos in the West Wing and Mr Trump’s steady slide in opinion polls will derail the President’s drive to reform healthcare, cut taxes and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
Upon Mr Trump’s return on Saturday, the administration will add experienced political professionals, including Mr Trump’s former campaign manager, and possibly more lawyers to handle the Russia probe, which has gained new urgency since the justice department appointed a special counsel to head the investigation, the sources said.
Beyond pushing back at suggestions that Moscow is unduly influencing Mr Trump’s administration, the messaging effort will also focus on advancing Mr Trump’s stalled policy agenda and likely involve more trips out of Washington that will feature the kind of raucous rallies that were the hallmark of Mr Trump’s campaign. A person in regular touch with the White House said it needed a different structure to focus on the “new reality” that there would be continued leaks to the media from the law enforcement and intelligence communities, leaks that have increased in frequency since Trump fired former FBI director James Comey on May 9.
“Since the firing of Comey, that really exposed the fact that the White House in its current structure...is not prepared for really a one-front war, let alone a two-front war,” the person said. “They need to have a structure in place that allows them to stay focused” while “also truly fighting back on these attacks and these leaks.”
The White House declined to comment on plans for a “war room” but said Mr Trump will be looking to expand on momentum that it believes it has built up during the President’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. An official confirmed plans to hold more rallies. “The President has had an incredibly successful trip overseas and the White House looks forward to continuing an aggressive messaging strategy to highlight his agenda when we return to D.C.,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.