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ARIS MESSINIS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES |
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Good morning. Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned Tuesday, and her spectacular collapse as highflying U.S. Ambassador to Greece comes just three weeks before the midterm elections. |
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Democrats spent much of the spring and summer slugging it out with each other, but in recent weeks they’ve largely changed tactics. Now, many of them unite in alleging that administration officials are preoccupied with self-dealing and enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers. |
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True or not, it seems to resonate with voters. President Trump’s preoccupation with the White House ballroom, which has in part been financed by private donations, has only fanned these allegations. |
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The White House was caught flat-footed when The Wall Street Journal reported in recent days that Guilfoyle has solicited $100,000 from a Trump donor and boasted of private jet trips and luxury stays. On Monday, Trump suggested he wasn’t happy with Guilfoyle, and on Tuesday she resigned, though she denied the Journal’s reporting. |
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Many Democratic candidates were focused on two big things heading down the homestretch of the midterms campaign: 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. The announcement drew considerable blowback—including from Republicans. |
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Guilfoyle could make it harder for the White House to pivot to offense in the final days before the midterms. |
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And if her downfall turns more independent voters away from the GOP in these final weeks, an even broader group of White House officials could find themselves under the scrutiny of an energized Democratic Congress next year. |
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