White House officials were scrambling to figure out how to counter the renewed impeachment push Thursday, with one source familiar with the situation describing a sense of “total panic” over the past week at the lack of a plan to address the new reality.
Shannon Pettypiece, Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson and Carol E. Leethe renewed Democratic impeachment push
White House officials remained unsure of how to proceed, not only because is there no apparent plan for the situation, but because the allegations are so serious that the usual methods the president has used to successfully escape past controversies may not apply: “This doesn’t look like something that’s going to be overtaken by the next news cycle,” the person quipped.
With his presidency facing what may be its biggest threat yet, Trump has cycled from offense to defense, reviving a strategy that he viewed as effective during Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. He tried to downplay his request for the Ukrainian president to help investigate his political rivals, to divert attention to actions by Democrats and presidential contender Joe Biden, and to discredit the whistleblower as having partisan motives.
Some allies of the president believe the damage could be mitigated, with some seizing on the fact that the whistleblower did not have first-hand knowledge of the controversial call in question between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — a fact which they argue damages his or her credibility. And, as often happens, when the president is under siege, that fact energizes his core supporters in his defense.
Worried White House officials have been reaching out to advisers for help in assembling an impeachment response team. With the effort still in the early phases, it remained unclear whether any type of war room-style effort would come to fruition or what form it might take, according to a person briefed on the plans.
It is anticipated there will be more pressure now than during the investigation by Robert Mueller, who was mostly silent, speaking only through his indictments.
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