Concern as White House faces brain drain at perilous moment

Attrition, job changes and firings have taken a significant toll on the Oval Office

Increasingly convinced that the West Wing is wholly unprepared to handle the expected assault from Democrats if they win the House in November, President Donald Trump’s aides and allies are privately raising alarm as his circle of legal and communications advisers continues to shrink.

There is growing concern among Trump allies that the brain drain at the centre of the administration could hardly come at a more perilous time.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s swirling probe of Russian election interference and potential obstruction of justice by Trump has reached ever closer to the Oval Office, and the upcoming midterm elections could grant his political adversaries the power of subpoena or, more worryingly, the votes to attempt impeachment.

Unprepared for troubles

Nine current and former White House staffers and administration allies expressed concerns the West Wing is simply unprepared for the potential troubles ahead. They spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Attrition, job changes and firings have taken their toll across the White House, but their impact has been felt particularly in the communications and legal shops — two departments crucial to Trump staving off the looming threats. The upcoming departure of White House counsel Don McGahn has highlighted the challenges in an office that has shrunk by a third since last year. The staffing shortage and struggles to recruit top-flight talent have left the White House ill-prepared to handle the legal onslaught that may come when Mueller issues an expected report summarising his findings and the flood of congressional investigations that could follow a Democratic takeover of the House.