The ‘team of vipers’ is back
Posted on 11/16/2024
The last time Cliff Sims was this close to presidential power, he coined an indelible phrase for the cut-throat coterie around Donald Trump — it was a “Team of Vipers,” as he titled his 2019 tell-all.
Now a key member of the Trump transition, Sims is showing that he knows his way around the old snake pit.
That has become clear in recent weeks, when he turned into the subject of a Mar-a-Lago whisper campaign that arose alongside frustrations over the spate of leaks coming out of the transition: Why, some MAGA insiders who spoke with POLITICO wondered, was a guy who had publicly portrayed the Trump White House as a den of backstabbers and turf-warriors tied to the hip of transition co-chair Howard Lutnick?
According to two well-placed Republicans who, like others in the story, were granted anonymity to speak candidly, Sims’ presence came to head this week with Trump — who had only vaguely recognized him in transition meetings and asked for more information on his background. After an aide put a folder of clips about Sims and his book on Trump’s desk, he exploded.
Trump was “beyond pissed,” according to one of the people familiar with the confrontation, and demanded he be removed.
Yet as of Friday, Sims remains on the job — and could be in line for a plum administration post.
Late Thursday night POLITICO contacted Sims about the incident. By Friday morning, the Trump transition had issued statements defending Sims from some of the biggest names in Trump’s orbit.
“The people lying about Cliff leaking are the real leakers and the enemies of President Trump and the American people,” said Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“No one in the process has been more responsible with sensitive information than Cliff,” said Donald Trump Jr.
“Cliff Sims continues to play an important role in building the greatest Transition in American history,” said Lutnick.
“He’s doing a terrific job and has my total trust and confidence,” said Susie Wiles, Trump’s top political adviser and future White House chief of staff. “Anyone claiming otherwise is simply not in the loop.”
Sims declined to comment, but a person close to him disputed the folder anecdote and denied he’d been leaking.
The episode illustrates how Trump’s relatively disciplined campaign has given way to a much more rough-and-tumble — and classically Trumpian — transition as those close to the once and future president jockey for jobs and power.
As an aide to Lutnick — who himself has been the subject of internal gripes about conflicts of interest — Sims has been sitting in on meetings and playing a key role in helping staff up the White House. He’s played an especially close role with CIA Director-designate John Ratcliffe, with whom Sims served as his top deputy for communications and strategy when he was director of national intelligence in 2020
The high-level position perplexed the Trump insiders POLITICO spoke to, who felt that he’d betrayed confidences with his 2019 book — and recalled how Trump himself had gone after him publicly for it. They speculated that his involvement could blow back on Lutnick, who has been lobbying behind the scenes to be Treasury secretary.
Truth is, Sims had long since worked his way back into the MAGA fold, having maintained a relationship with Donald Trump Jr. and other major GOP figures. Not only did he serve as a top aide to Ratcliffe, he coordinated speechwriting for the 2020 and 2024 GOP conventions and advised Vance during this year’s campaign.
But it is not at all clear whether Trump cleared Sims’ high-level involvement — especially after Sims sued the then-president in 2019 after the Trump campaign tried to enforce a nondisclosure agreement.
However, the flurry of statements Friday suggests that Sims learned some valuable lessons about navigating the aide-eat-aide world surrounding Trump. In fact, he appears to be in line for a significant promotion — two Trump insiders said he is angling to be nominated as deputy CIA director under Ratcliffe.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed again by the Senate, I’d love to have him working for me again in any number of roles,” Ratcliffe said in a statement.
If not, Sims might at least get a sequel out of it.
Like this content? Sign up for POLITICO’s Playbook newsletter.
Playbook
The unofficial guide to official Washington, every morning and weekday afternoons.
Playbook
The unofficial guide to official Washington, every morning and weekday afternoons.
By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Loading
You will now start receiving email updates
Something went wrong
Email ! Please make sure that the email address you typed in is valid
* All fields must be completed to subscribe.
By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Now a key member of the Trump transition, Sims is showing that he knows his way around the old snake pit.
That has become clear in recent weeks, when he turned into the subject of a Mar-a-Lago whisper campaign that arose alongside frustrations over the spate of leaks coming out of the transition: Why, some MAGA insiders who spoke with POLITICO wondered, was a guy who had publicly portrayed the Trump White House as a den of backstabbers and turf-warriors tied to the hip of transition co-chair Howard Lutnick?
According to two well-placed Republicans who, like others in the story, were granted anonymity to speak candidly, Sims’ presence came to head this week with Trump — who had only vaguely recognized him in transition meetings and asked for more information on his background. After an aide put a folder of clips about Sims and his book on Trump’s desk, he exploded.
Trump was “beyond pissed,” according to one of the people familiar with the confrontation, and demanded he be removed.
Yet as of Friday, Sims remains on the job — and could be in line for a plum administration post.
Late Thursday night POLITICO contacted Sims about the incident. By Friday morning, the Trump transition had issued statements defending Sims from some of the biggest names in Trump’s orbit.
“The people lying about Cliff leaking are the real leakers and the enemies of President Trump and the American people,” said Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“No one in the process has been more responsible with sensitive information than Cliff,” said Donald Trump Jr.
“Cliff Sims continues to play an important role in building the greatest Transition in American history,” said Lutnick.
“He’s doing a terrific job and has my total trust and confidence,” said Susie Wiles, Trump’s top political adviser and future White House chief of staff. “Anyone claiming otherwise is simply not in the loop.”
Sims declined to comment, but a person close to him disputed the folder anecdote and denied he’d been leaking.
The episode illustrates how Trump’s relatively disciplined campaign has given way to a much more rough-and-tumble — and classically Trumpian — transition as those close to the once and future president jockey for jobs and power.
As an aide to Lutnick — who himself has been the subject of internal gripes about conflicts of interest — Sims has been sitting in on meetings and playing a key role in helping staff up the White House. He’s played an especially close role with CIA Director-designate John Ratcliffe, with whom Sims served as his top deputy for communications and strategy when he was director of national intelligence in 2020
The high-level position perplexed the Trump insiders POLITICO spoke to, who felt that he’d betrayed confidences with his 2019 book — and recalled how Trump himself had gone after him publicly for it. They speculated that his involvement could blow back on Lutnick, who has been lobbying behind the scenes to be Treasury secretary.
Truth is, Sims had long since worked his way back into the MAGA fold, having maintained a relationship with Donald Trump Jr. and other major GOP figures. Not only did he serve as a top aide to Ratcliffe, he coordinated speechwriting for the 2020 and 2024 GOP conventions and advised Vance during this year’s campaign.
But it is not at all clear whether Trump cleared Sims’ high-level involvement — especially after Sims sued the then-president in 2019 after the Trump campaign tried to enforce a nondisclosure agreement.
However, the flurry of statements Friday suggests that Sims learned some valuable lessons about navigating the aide-eat-aide world surrounding Trump. In fact, he appears to be in line for a significant promotion — two Trump insiders said he is angling to be nominated as deputy CIA director under Ratcliffe.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed again by the Senate, I’d love to have him working for me again in any number of roles,” Ratcliffe said in a statement.
If not, Sims might at least get a sequel out of it.
Like this content? Sign up for POLITICO’s Playbook newsletter.
Playbook
The unofficial guide to official Washington, every morning and weekday afternoons.
Playbook
The unofficial guide to official Washington, every morning and weekday afternoons.
By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Loading
You will now start receiving email updates
Something went wrong
Email ! Please make sure that the email address you typed in is valid
* All fields must be completed to subscribe.
By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Comments( 0 )
0 0 4
0 0 4
0 0 4
