White House staffers bemoan 'insane' atmosphere in the West Wing as Hope Hicks departs

As outgoing White House communications director Hope Hicks prepares to depart, Trump administration staffers are complaining about the "insane" atmosphere in the West Wing.

CBS News reported Wednesday that former and current White House officials are not only worried about what will happen now that Hicks is leaving, but also about the level of chaos the race to replace her has induced.

"She's the glue to the entire place," one White House official told CBS. "She helps keep the White House from fracturing. I don't think people realize what's about to happen once she leaves."

Two people who may replace Hicks — Treasury Department spokesperson Tony Sayegh and strategic communications director Mercedes "Mercy" Schlapp — are reportedly at the center of their own White House intrigue.

"Woof! This is insane," a White House source told CBS when accusations that Sayegh "manipulated and bullied" female staffers. The source said the rumors, which first appeared in the Washington Examiner, were planted to discredit him as he competed in the running for Hicks' old job.

Schlapp, on the other hand, was accused of using news that Hicks' then-boyfriend Rob Porter was an alleged abuser to "elevate herself in the White House hierarchy." One source told CBS President Donald Trump himself was aware of the rumored tension between Schlapp and Hicks.

A former White House official, meanwhile, told CBS the minor scandals surrounding replacing Hicks are irrelevant because "the job is already filled" by Trump himself.

"It's filled by the president," the ex-staffer told CBS. "And people who want to go to the mattresses for that position have to be real gluttons for punishment."