There are 25 lawyers currently working in the White House counsel’s office, a Republican close to the Trump administration told Politico.
White House counsel Don McGahn left before the midterms and his replacement — Pat Cipollone — is still undergoing a background check and hasn’t started working yet. In the next few weeks, Annie Donaldson, who was a top aide for McGahn, is expected to make an exit, leaving the scarcely staffed office likely unprepared to handle the influx of subpoenas after Democrats take over the House.
“They only have roughly 20 dedicated White House lawyers and a bunch of detailees who could leave at any time,” one ex-White House official told Politico. “I don’t think anyone who is paying attention thinks they are prepared for a Democratic takeover.”
Another Republican close to the administration described the office as “denuded and shrinking” and blamed the slow roll of Cipollone’s start date on McGahn’s departure.
“When the head guy is leaving, it is hard to find replacements,” the source told Politico.
May they be left with no one.
With this WH were they ever prepared for anything other than making $ from trump businesses?
So that’s actually 50 lawyers, since every one of the 25 will have a personal defense attorney.
I think their idea of being prepared for the future is the next 5 minutes, going from one crisis to another with people in the administration that don’t have a clue about how things should work.
Trump is going to assert Executive privilege for every Dem subpoena. He will instruct those responding to take the fifth. Or plead a hazy memory. Or demand delays to organize their records and their response. Some merely won’t show, and dare committees to file contempt charges, which they’ll in turn fight in court. Every case will be taken through as many dockets as possible, all the way to SCOTUS if need be. Every single House pursuit will be turned into cleaning the Augean Stables.