James B. Nelson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kenosha native Reince Priebus could be out as President Donald Trump's chief of staff, a report published Friday morning by Axios says.

The article, written by the news site's founder Mike Allen, says that the president is considering "a broad shakeup of his White House that could include the replacement of White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and the departure of chief strategist Steve Bannon."

Among those cited as possible replacements for Priebus are House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Washington lawyer Wayne Berman of Blackstone Group, David Urban of the Washington advisory firm American Continental Group, and Gary Cohn, Trump's economic adviser.

Axios says "The West Wing 'Game of Thrones' has been raging ever since Trump took office. But the war between the nationalists and the moderates, led by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, burst into the open this week after Bannon was taken off the National Security Council, setting off a torrent of leaks agains t him."

Also Friday, CNN Politics posted a long story quoting "more than a dozen officials" who are in frequent contact with Trump and the White House about the in-fighting.

CNN said: "One person who speaks with the President privately said he has begun asking friends: 'What do you think of my team?'"

CNN added: "Yet even as the White House continues to insist that the chief of staff is secure in his post, the swirl of theories about his and other top aides' places within Trump's orbit remains unending. Some even say that the President doesn't even ask Priebus for advice."

Priebus' longevity at the White House has been the subject of speculation several times since Trump took office in January.

Last month, Politico published a lengthy piece that called carried the headline "Knives are out for Reince" with the subhead "Trump’s chief of staff is becoming a singular target of criticism as persistent controversies plague the presidency."

In February, Trump confidant Chris Ruddy blasted Priebus in several interviews, saying "it’s pretty clear the guy is in way over his head."

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