President Trump’s former White House communications director, Mike Dubke, said Thursday he regrets not firing leakers from the West Wing’s press shop.
“If I had one regret from my time there, it’s that I wish I had done that in a couple of cases,” Dubke told the Washingtonian of dismissing or moving suspected leakers to another part of the Trump administration.
One particular example that Dubke said still haunts him is the leak of a brainstorming meeting he organized in April to workshop how best to sell the president’s agenda ahead of his 100th day in office.
The meeting was also convened to unite a team split into two camps based on whether they worked on the campaign or were ex-Republican National Committee aides, Dubke said.
The resultant story, published by Politico, also included six sources complaining about his leadership.
“In my mind, it was ridiculous and I think what it was, really, was probably a way for some junior staffers to make themselves feel important, by telling a reporter about a private meeting in the White House,” Dubke continued. “I was just upset.”
In the end, Dubke said he never pushed anyone out because he was “not 100 percent sure” and didn’t “want to ruin somebody’s reputation and somebody’s livelihood.”
Dubke was communications director from Mar. 6 to June 2, 2017 before he was replaced by Sean Spicer after submitting his resignation.
