White House aides brace for an 'excruciating' work life if Democrats win the House

The Trump administration is expected to undergo fresh shake-ups at the Cabinet level after the midterms, but the worst chaos may be reserved for lower-level aides who stay. Democrats are widely predicted to win the House of Representatives, giving the Trump team its first experience of an opposition Congress.

Officials from the administrations of former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama describe work life in the White House under divided government as "excruciating," Politico reports. One Clinton staffer likened it, in Politico's paraphrase, to "getting dental work without anesthesia," while a Bush official called it "one of the most demoralizing times of his career."

Long hours spent battling congressional committee requests are a certainty with an opposition-controlled House. "I remember coming out of the White House one day in August and realizing it was the first time I'd been outside when the sun was still up in a long time," said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, who worked in the Clinton administration during the Whitewater scandal.

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"President Trump likes to be in the role of victim," mused Andrew Wright, an Obama administration attorney. "Now he'll actually have real bogeymen who are issuing subpoenas and document requests." Read the full Politico report here.