White House aides are worried about what more can come out as the movement to impeach President Donald Trump continues to gather steam.
On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that the House of Representatives was pursuing an impeachment inquiry. On Wednesday, a majority of the House had gone on record supporting impeachment.
The political developments occurred against a backdrop of rapidly breaking news -- and bizarre defenses from Trump and his defense attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
"At the White House, a grim sense of frustration has set in. Aides said they thought Democrats had gone too far. Nonetheless, they acknowledged that the impeachment inquiry represented the likely death of any hope of passing legislation in the next 13 months," The New York Timesreported Wednesday.
"Several expressed fear that other witnesses would come forward in relation to Mr. Trump’s contacts with the Ukrainian president, or that other whistle-blowers on other matters would emerge," the newspaper noted.
Trump's failure to staff his government is also a dynamic in the White House upheaval.
"The White House Counsel’s Office is prepared for an impeachment inquiry, but other departments in the West Wing are badly depleted by staff departures and plagued by exhaustion," The Times noted.