Story highlights The campaign is not admitting that Virginia is no longer in play

Trump's allies in Virginia remain aggravated by the way the Trump Team has handled the news

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump's presidential campaign is pulling resources out of battleground Virginia, effectively ceding the state to Hillary Clinton and stunning staff members who have been working in the commonwealth, according to a GOP operative.

Trump has been trailing Clinton in polls in Virginia for weeks, but a Trump staffer surprised team members in the Old Dominion State with the news on a conference call Wednesday evening with GOP operatives, the Republican National Committee's victory effort and campaign staff.

As the staff was on a conference call ticking off campaign items about door knocks and phone calls, a Trump staffer interrupted by saying, "You haven't heard the news that we are leaving Virginia?" according to the operative, who summarized the staffer's comments.

"It was absolutely a broadside," the operative said.

The campaign is not admitting that Virginia is no longer in play. However, on Thursday, it did release a statement acknowledging that they are pulling staff and resources.

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