Mark Wilson/Getty Images
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
After news that President Donald Trump reportedly shared highly classified information with Russian officials during an Oval Office visit last week, White House staffers were reportedly having a difficult time dealing with the repercussions.Citing a senior Trump aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity, The Daily Beast reports that communications staff and senior White House officials were "hiding in offices," as a line of reporters were camped in the hallways, waiting for an official statement on the matter.
Trump administration staffers were said to be in meetings late Monday amid the fallout, CNN reported.
"Do not ask me about how this looks, we all know how this looks," the senior aide said to The Daily Beast.
According to several reporters, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said before a press briefing, "This is the last place in the world I want to be."
This latest crisis for the White House comes after a string of scandals centered around Trump and Russia, the most recent being the firing of FBI Director James Comey last week. Comey, whose bureau was "accelerating" its investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged ties to Russia, was abruptly fired after Trump signed off on a recommendation made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Russian Embassy
President Donald Trump meets with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak.
Because of the amount of critical press coverage the White House has received of late, Trump has even hinted at major changes in the way information is disseminated from his administration. "We don't have press conferences," Trump told Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Friday. "Unless I have them every two weeks and I do them myself, we don't have them. I think it's a good idea."
The latest incident also highlights the ongoing turmoil within the Trump administration, which has experienced a steady progression of crises since Trump was inaugurated.