Democrats rally around self-dealing claims as midterms approach
The Wall Street Journal reported in recent days that Guilfoyle had solicited $100,000 from a Trump donor and boasted of private jet trips and luxury stays. On Monday, President Trump suggested he was not happy with Guilfoyle; on Tuesday she resigned, though she denied the Journal’s reporting. In a Special Edition of the WSJ Politics newsletter, Paletta wrote that the White House was “caught flat-footed” by the disclosures.
Paletta wrote that Democrats spent much of the spring and summer fighting each other, but in recent weeks have largely changed tactics. Many now unite in alleging that administration officials are “preoccupied with self-dealing and enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers.” Paletta wrote that, true or not, the allegation appears to resonate with voters. President Trump’s preoccupation with the White House ballroom — a project financed in part by private donations — has only fanned those allegations, Paletta wrote.
Heading into the campaign’s homestretch, Paletta wrote, many Democratic candidates were focused on two issues: energy prices and the need for curbs on the White House. Trump last week announced a deal with Russia that was supposed to create more supply of diesel for global markets, but the announcement drew considerable blowback, including from Republicans.
Paletta wrote that Guilfoyle’s departure could make it harder for the White House to pivot to offense in the final days before the midterms. If her downfall turns more independent voters away from the GOP in the coming weeks, he added, an even broader group of White House officials could find themselves under the scrutiny of an energized Democratic Congress next year.
The newsletter was curated and edited in collaboration with Joe Haberstroh.