Trump allies say he gets mad when people bring up 'the i-word': Impeachment

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 30 August 2018

President Trump has been able to have serious discussions about impeachment with his lawyers, but other times he will get angry when people bring up what he calls "the i-word," Trump allies with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post on Wednesday.

The Post spoke with 26 White House advisers, officials, lawyers, and strategists, and several said Trump does not have a strategy in place should Democrats take over the House and have subpoena power. It's possible Democrats could pursue impeachment charges, and Trump's legal team does not have the experience to handle such matters, people told the Post; he's talked with advisers about having Abbe Lowell, the defense lawyer representing son-in-law Jared Kushner, come on board if necessary.

White House Counsel Don McGahn, who will leave in the fall, and other aides remind Trump about the possibility of impeachment when they want to keep him from doing something they find troublesome, the Post reports, and many people are worried because Trump has not asked his lawyers or aides to put together an action plan. "Winter is coming," one Trump ally told the Post. "Assuming Democrats win the House, which we all believe is a very strong likelihood, the White House will be under siege. But it's like tumbleweeds rolling down the halls over there. Nobody's prepared for war."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox