Pam Bondi and Tony Sayegh to join White House to assist impeachment strategy
Tony Sayegh. Photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images; Pam Bondi. Photo: Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Treasury spokesperson Tony Sayegh are expected to join the White House communications team to help with President Trump's impeachment strategy, according to a senior administration official.
The big picture: Both of the officials' roles are temporary, and they will be designated as special government employees. Bondi is a longtime Trump backer, having endorsed him the day before the 2016 primary despite Florida Sen. Marco Rubio still being in the race. Sayegh helped craft a communications plan for Trump's tax overhaul in his previous role in the administration.
Between the lines: It's noteworthy that six weeks into the impeachment inquiry, the White House is now bringing on people to specifically deal with impeachment messaging. It comes as some Republicans on the Hill have called for stronger messaging from the White House, where internally different factions have struggled to form a unified response.
Behind the scenes: Axios' Jonathan Swan reports that one reason it took so long to bring on extra people to help with impeachment was Trump’s own reservations. Trump privately told advisers he thought it could make the White House look weak and defensive if they formed an impeachment “war room” or added staff specifically for impeachment defense, per sources with direct knowledge.
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