Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is in hot water for his bungled explanation of the Ukraine controversy — under fire from President Donald Trump’s confidantes, lawyers and GOP lawmakers, Politico reported.
Trump confidante and Fox News host Sean Hannity called Mulvaney’s actions “idiotic” during his radio show Thursday. And White House lawyers were also aghast that Mulvaney’s remarks undercut legal arguments they could use to defend Trump during the impeachment inquiry, the news outlet reported, citing an unnamed source.
“Mulvaney needs to learn when to stop talking,” one unnamed lawmaker’s aide told Politico.
The episode also raised raised questions with Trump allies about whether the White House team was properly prepared to fight impeachment, Politico reported.
“There’s growing concern — whether it’s other advisers, whether the legal team is not coordinating and communicating with the rest of the team well enough,” Republican close to the White House told Politico. “There are questions about who’s doing what and who’s responsible.”
According to Politico, Mulvaney’s remarks didn’t do anything to endear him to Trump amid the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
"He's a stressed president right now and he's going to take it out on people," one unnamed person close to Mulvaney told Politico. "If Trump said, 'I need you to be the fall guy,' he would probably say, 'fine.'"