White House aides, allies describe a tense, chaotic West Wing after the Trump intelligence-leaking bombshell

H.R. McMaster walks away after reading a statement
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

"Can we have a crisis-free day?" asked Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday night, after news broke that President Trump reportedly shared top secret intelligence with Russia's foreign minister and ambassador in the Oval Office last week. "That's all I'm asking." Her plea was not just hers. "It never stops," one White House official said in a text message to Politico. "Basically chaos at all times." When an NBC News reporter asked a White House aide about the reports, the query was deflected: "I'm dealing with other dumpster fires."

After all the mayhem last week, tied to Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, "aides had sought a calm week to avoid a widespread staff shake-up," Politico reports. Senior advisers and aides point out that the chaos is mostly coming from the top, Politico says, "but top officials — knowing [Trump] is often swayed by media coverage — are trying to get through the week without any firings and hope that a 10-day foreign trip goes off without a hitch and changes his often frustrated mood."

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Trump "may have not been aware of the sensitivity of what he was sharing" with the Russians in "granular details," The New York Times reported, and the error was discovered "only after the meeting, when notes on the discussion were circulated among National Security Council officials." One adviser who often speaks with Trump found that plausible, telling Politico that Trump was probably just trying to impress his Russian guests. "He doesn't really know any boundaries," the adviser said. "He doesn't sometimes realize the implications of what he's saying. I don't think it was his intention in any way to share any classified information. He wouldn't want to do that."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.