White House 'getting hollowed out' by high-profile departures, says Chuck Schumer - Independent

7/3/2018

White House 'getting hollowed out' by high-profile departures, says Chuck Schumer - as Trump administration defends high turnover

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the White House 'is an intense place, as is every White House'

Alexandra Wilts Washington DC

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said “the White House is getting hollowed out” as top-level officials continue to leave President Donald Trump’s administration.

“The number of people capable of doing things - doing real things, whether you agree or disagree ideologically - is getting smaller and smaller,” Mr Schumer told reporters at a news conference.

And the White House seems “unable to recruit new people to take these jobs,” he added.

Trump says 'everyone wants to work in the White House'

The President’s top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, announced on Wednesday that he planned to resign, the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the White House.

During a White House briefing, reporters grilled Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about why so many people are leaving the administration.

“This is an intense place, as is every White House,” Ms Sanders said. “And it’s not abnormal that you would have people come and go.”

While every administration suffers from a revolving door of personnel, Mr Trump’s White House has a staff turnover rate of 34 per cent – a level that has not been seen for decades, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

“No administration in recent history has had this much turnover,” ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega told Ms Sanders. “If this is not the definition of chaotic, how would you describe what’s happening in these recent weeks?”

Ms Sanders responded by declaring that if the White House was as chaotic as reports say, “then I don’t think we would have been able to accomplish all that we’ve done”.

“The economy is stronger than it’s been in ages,” Ms Sanders said. “Isis is on the run. Making of the judiciary jobs are coming in at record numbers. There are historic things that have taken place in the first year. Sounds like a very functioning place of business to me.”

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Mr Trump said on Tuesday that “everybody wants to work in the White House”.

“They all want a piece of that Oval Office; they want a piece of the West Wing,” he added during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Earlier, the President had dismissed reports of chaos in the White House while hinting that the staff shakeup will continue.