A White House in constant turmoil

On the list of ways Donald Trump’s presidency has no historical precedent, staff turnover ranks at the top. The churn rate in the Trump White House is more than double that of previous administrations, according to one analysis. (It’s triple that of the Obama White House.) Since the inauguration, nearly two dozen senior officials have quit or been pushed out. But even for a White House roiled by firings and resignations, the announcement that Hope Hicks was quitting was of a different magnitude, reaching into Trump’s own bunker in a way no other event has to this point.

[...]

taffers remark that Trump treats Hicks—“Hope-y” as he calls her—like a surrogate daughter. Her centrality was such that it was hard to imagine Trump functioning without her.

  Vanity Fair

No wonder he became incensed when she admitted to "white lies". If Ivanka chooses her husband over Trump in the Russia investigation, we may find ourselves in an actual nuclear war.

[I]n recent weeks, Hicks became disillusioned with her job, people who’ve spoken with her told me. Her closeness to Trump meant she was also nearest to the hottest flames of the fires that have burned in the West Wing, the most intense being the Russia probe. Hicks has racked up substantial legal fees, one source told me. “She’s in immense personal jeopardy,” one Republican close to the White House said yesterday.

[...]

The tipping point for Hicks was more personal, sources said. She was “emotionally overwhelmed” by seeing herself in the headlines during her boyfriend Rob Porter’s domestic abuse scandal, one Hicks friend told me. Hicks expressed disbelief at the allegations that Porter beat his ex-wives. She’s recently told people she’s no longer dating Porter.

Another factor in her exit was her deteriorating relationship with Chief of Staff John Kelly. “He’s a wartime general and he’s turned the West Wing into a war zone,” the friend recalled Hicks complaining. Kelly blamed Hicks for orchestrating the White House’s defense of Porter, given her personal conflict in the story.

[...]

Just weeks ago, the chief was on the ropes, his reputation for straight shooting in dire danger. It was revealed he’d promoted Porter even after he knew about the domestic abuse; and it was Kelly who helped blow up immigration-reform talks by calling DACA recipients “lazy.” “You know how Rahm Emanuel said, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste?’ That’s what Kelly did,” a Republican close to the White House said. But at seemingly his lowest moment, Kelly pulled off a masterstroke by promulgating new security-clearance rules that neutralized his biggest West Wing rivals: Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Does Kelly himself have some dirt on Trump?

A day before Hicks resigned, Kushner’s spokesman Josh Raffel announced he, too, was quitting.

Probably realized he would have to do too much lying and get himself in trouble with Mueller.  If he isn't already.

In recent days, Corey Lewandowski has lobbied the president to fire Kelly, but not yet, a source said. Lewandowski’s advice is that Trump shouldn’t replace him right away, instead holding a series of interviews to find a person he clicks with.

Like, say, Corey Lewandowski? Does he figure he can make a comeback? Why in god's name would he want to get back into that mess?

Trump rejected the proposal. “He’s too worried about the perception of all the turnover,” the source said.

LOL. Since when? He loves firing people only slightly less than he loves himself.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.