News that former President Donald Trump could choose a MAGA think tank head for his White House chief of staff has spurred ruthless in-fighting among campaign insiders hellbent on preventing it, according to a new report.
Insiders have linked suspicions that America First Policy Institute President Brooke Rollins' could potentially be picked for the role. It was leaked to the press that her think tank had been hacked by the Chinese, Politico reported Tuesday.
“The knife-fighting is underway,” an anonymous source from Trump's inner circle told Politico. “Someone’s like, ‘Oh, she wants to be chief of staff? Well, she can’t even stop her own organization from getting hacked.’”
Insiders believe a Rollins foe leaked the year-old hack to sabotage her chances of claiming the powerful position should Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, be elected on Nov. 5, according to the report.
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And, according to Politico, the brutal chess move wasn't the first of such plays.
"It’s just one vivid example of the behind-the-scenes jockeying playing out over a crucial White House role even before Trump wins the election," Politico reported.
"A host of insiders view the job as crucial to a potential second Trump administration’s success — and had plenty to say about the three people most discussed for the role: Rollins, Susie Wiles and Kevin McCarthy."
Insiders consider Wiles, the de facto campaign manager who stuck with Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots fallout, as the frontrunner, Politico reported.
Those insiders credit Wiles with the organization of his chaotic campaign team. She has been able to accomplish a strict crackdown on backbiting, according to the report.
But it remains unclear if Wiles has the qualifications — she hasn't had a government job since she briefly worked for a Republican Congress member during the Reagan administration — or if she even wants the job, Politico reported.
"People wonder if she got her fill of personnel drama earlier this year after Corey Lewandowski’s sudden return to the campaign," the report stated.
Meanwhile McCarthy, the former Republican House speaker, has said he wouldn’t rule out taking the job and spurred internal criticisms that he appears, as Politico put it, "too eager."
And while Trump appears to be maintaining ties with McCarthy and relying on Wiles, he's also quizzing people about Rollins, asserting she would make “a great chief of staff." Which has reportedly infuriated her rivals.
"[They] believe she has no business having that job," Politico reported. "Some of those who have worked with her believe she’d be eaten alive."