Trump to Add White House Aides for Impeachment Fight
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to hire a pair of new aides dedicated to responding to the House’s expanding impeachment investigation, according to two people familiar with the plan.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury Department spokesman, are expected to join the White House communications team on a temporary basis to assist with messaging and strategy on impeachment and other special projects, according to a senior administration official. Another person familiar with the situation said that Sayegh and Bondi would both join the West Wing.
Earlier Wednesday, House Democrats announced they will hold the first public hearings in their impeachment inquiry into Trump, beginning Nov. 13.
Some Trump allies have called for the White House to create a team to handle impeachment, criticizing the White House’s response as disorganized. But Trump has pushed back on the idea of adding aides to tackle impeachment.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t have teams. Everyone’s talking about teams. I’m the team. I did nothing wrong,” Trump told reporters last month at the White House.
Adding Bondi and Sayegh is a tacit admission that Trump’s staff needs help in coordinating its response to the probe, which appears increasingly likely to end with a Senate trial.
Bondi served as Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and is a vocal supporter of the president. The relationship attracted scrutiny over a $25,000 donation Trump made through his foundation to a committee supporting Bondi’s 2014 reelection campaign. She currently works at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with ties to the administration.
Sayegh’s hire has been rumored for weeks. During his time at the Treasury Department, he was credited for helping shepherd Trump’s biggest legislative achievement to passage, the 2017 tax overhaul. His hiring is supported by the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Saleha Mohsin contributed to this report.
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