Why the Mueller Report Is Causing 'Breakdown-Level' Stress Among White House Staff [View all]

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Trump has not been kind to those who have cooperated with authorities to his detriment

More than qualifications, more than intelligence, more than a Rolodex filled with Russian oligarchs, President Trump values loyalty. It’s why he’s installed family members into high-profile administration positions, made his buddies ambassadors and put the welfare of military veterans in the hands of Mar-a-Lago members. It’s also why the current and former White House staff members are reportedly worried about what may be revealed when a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report is released to the public on Thursday. According to NBC News, more than a dozen officials who cooperated with Mueller’s investigation are concerned they will be outed as a source of information that hurts the president.

One person close to the situation told NBC News there is “breakdown-level anxiety” among the staff who cooperated. A former White House official said there is concern among staff that “the wrath” of Trump and his allies “will follow” if they are revealed to have provided the special counsel with information that doesn’t reflect well on Trump, particularly regarding his potential obstruction of justice.

“You have a whole bunch of former White House officials and current White House officials, but especially former White House officials, who were told to cooperate,” said the former official. “So people went and did that, and now the uncertainty is just how much of that information is going to be in that report and how identifiable to individuals is it going to be. And nobody knows.”

Helping fuel the concern is the lack of clarity about what’s in the report and what will be redacted. Attorney General William Barr didn’t divulge much in the “principal conclusions” he released barely 48 hours after the report was filed to the Justice Department last month. The redaction guidelines he later outlined in a letter to congressional leaders were vague as well. Even if their names are redacted, current and former White House staffers worry, they still may be identifiable based on the context of the disclosures. “Nobody has any idea what this is going to look like on Thursday,” the former official told NBC.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/why-the-mueller-report-is-causing-breakdown-level-stress-among-white-house-staff-822883/