Upstairs at home with the TV on  Trump fumes over Russia indictments
Melania Trump
President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort  Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates and  Trump  campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have all been charged in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort  Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates and  Trump  campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have all been charged in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
Separated from most of his West Wing staff — who fretted over why he was late getting to the Oval Office —  Trump  clicked on the television and spent the morning playing fuming media critic  legal analyst and crisis communications strategist  according to several people close to  him .
 The president  digested the news of the first indictments in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe with exasperation and disgust  these people said.  He  called  his  lawyers repeatedly.  He  listened intently to cable news commentary. And  with rising irritation   he  watched live footage of  his  onetime campaign adviser and confidant  Paul Manafort  turning  himself  in to the FBI.
Initially   Trump  felt vindicated. Though frustrated that the media were linking  him  to the indictment and tarnishing  his  presidency   he  cheered that the ­charges against Manafort and  his  deputy  Rick Gates  were focused primarily on activities that began before  his  campaign.  Trump  tweeted at 10:28 a.m.  “there is NO COLLUSION!”
But the president’s celebration was short-lived. A few minutes later  court documents were unsealed showing that George Papadopoulos  an unpaid foreign policy adviser on  Trump’s  campaign  pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI about his efforts to broker a relationship between  Trump  and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The case provides the clearest evidence yet of links between  Trump ’s campaign and Russian officials.
George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in early October to lying to federal officials about his contacts with Russian nationals. He is one of three former  Trump  campaign officials facing criminal charges. (Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)
For a president who revels in chaos — and in orchestrating it himself — Monday brought a political storm that  Trump  could not control. White House chief of staff John F. Kelly  along with lawyers Ty Cobb  John Dowd and Jay Sekulow  advised  Trump  to be cautious with his public responses  but they were a private sounding board for his grievances  advisers said.
“This has not been a cause of great agita or angst or activity at the White House ” said Cobb  the White House lawyer overseeing Russia matters. He added that  Trump  is “spending all of his time on presidential work.”
[Three former  Trump  campaign officials charged by special counsel]
But  Trump ’s anger Monday was visible to those who interacted with  him   and the mood in the corridors of the White House was one of weariness and fear of the unknown. As the president groused upstairs  many staffers — some of whom have hired lawyers to help them navigate Mueller’s investigation — privately speculated about where the special counsel might turn next.
 Trump  is also increasingly agitated by the expansion of Mueller’s probe into financial issues beyond the 2016 campaign and about the potential damage to  him  and  his  family.
This portrait of  Trump  and  his  White House on a day of crisis is based on interviews with 20 senior administration officials   Trump  friends and key outside allies  many of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.
Trump and  his  aides were frustrated that  yet again  Russia steamrolled the start of a carefully planned week of policy news.  Trump  is preparing to nominate a new chairman of the Federal Reserve and is scheduled to depart Friday for a high-stakes  12-day trip across Asia  and House Republicans are planning to unveil their tax overhaul bill.
Away from the podium   Trump  staffers fretted privately over whether Manafort or Gates might share with Mueller’s team damaging information about other colleagues. They expressed concern in particular about Gates because he has a young family  may be more stretched financially than Manafort  and continued to be involved in  Trump ’s political operation and had access to the White House  including attending West Wing meetings after  Trump  was sworn in.
Some White House advisers are unhappy with Thomas J. Barrack Jr.  Trump’s longtime friend and chair of his inauguration  whom they hold responsible for keeping Gates in the  Trump  orbit long after Manafort resigned as campaign chairman in August 2016  according to people familiar with the situation. Barrack has been Gates’s patron of late  steering political work to him and  until Monday  employing him as director of the Washington office of his real estate investment company.
President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort  Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates and  Trump  campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have all been charged in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort  Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates and  Trump  campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have all been charged in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
Separated from most of his West Wing staff — who fretted over why he was late getting to the Oval Office —  Trump  clicked on the television and spent the morning playing fuming media critic  legal analyst and crisis communications strategist  according to several people close to  him .
 The president  digested the news of the first indictments in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe with exasperation and disgust  these people said.  He  called  his  lawyers repeatedly.  He  listened intently to cable news commentary. And  with rising irritation   he  watched live footage of  his  onetime campaign adviser and confidant  Paul Manafort  turning  himself  in to the FBI.
Initially   Trump  felt vindicated. Though frustrated that the media were linking  him  to the indictment and tarnishing  his  presidency   he  cheered that the ­charges against Manafort and  his  deputy  Rick Gates  were focused primarily on activities that began before  his  campaign.  Trump  tweeted at 10:28 a.m.  “there is NO COLLUSION!”
But the president’s celebration was short-lived. A few minutes later  court documents were unsealed showing that George Papadopoulos  an unpaid foreign policy adviser on  Trump’s  campaign  pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI about his efforts to broker a relationship between  Trump  and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The case provides the clearest evidence yet of links between  Trump ’s campaign and Russian officials.
George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in early October to lying to federal officials about his contacts with Russian nationals. He is one of three former  Trump  campaign officials facing criminal charges. (Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)
For a president who revels in chaos — and in orchestrating it himself — Monday brought a political storm that  Trump  could not control. White House chief of staff John F. Kelly  along with lawyers Ty Cobb  John Dowd and Jay Sekulow  advised  Trump  to be cautious with his public responses  but they were a private sounding board for his grievances  advisers said.
“This has not been a cause of great agita or angst or activity at the White House ” said Cobb  the White House lawyer overseeing Russia matters. He added that  Trump  is “spending all of his time on presidential work.”
[Three former  Trump  campaign officials charged by special counsel]
But  Trump ’s anger Monday was visible to those who interacted with  him   and the mood in the corridors of the White House was one of weariness and fear of the unknown. As the president groused upstairs  many staffers — some of whom have hired lawyers to help them navigate Mueller’s investigation — privately speculated about where the special counsel might turn next.
 Trump  is also increasingly agitated by the expansion of Mueller’s probe into financial issues beyond the 2016 campaign and about the potential damage to  him  and  his  family.
This portrait of  Trump  and  his  White House on a day of crisis is based on interviews with 20 senior administration officials   Trump  friends and key outside allies  many of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.
Trump and  his  aides were frustrated that  yet again  Russia steamrolled the start of a carefully planned week of policy news.  Trump  is preparing to nominate a new chairman of the Federal Reserve and is scheduled to depart Friday for a high-stakes  12-day trip across Asia  and House Republicans are planning to unveil their tax overhaul bill.
Away from the podium   Trump  staffers fretted privately over whether Manafort or Gates might share with Mueller’s team damaging information about other colleagues. They expressed concern in particular about Gates because he has a young family  may be more stretched financially than Manafort  and continued to be involved in  Trump ’s political operation and had access to the White House  including attending West Wing meetings after  Trump  was sworn in.
Some White House advisers are unhappy with Thomas J. Barrack Jr.  Trump’s longtime friend and chair of his inauguration  whom they hold responsible for keeping Gates in the  Trump  orbit long after Manafort resigned as campaign chairman in August 2016  according to people familiar with the situation. Barrack has been Gates’s patron of late  steering political work to him and  until Monday  employing him as director of the Washington office of his real estate investment company.