White House 'legal freak out' exposes Stephen Miller play to oust Susie Wiles: analysis

A White House legal threat to Politico suggests Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is likely trying to oust Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a new analysis.Independent journalist Marcy Wheeler laid out that case Thursday on her blog, emptywheel, in a post examining an Oct. 19 letter from White House Counsel Will Scharf to Politico’s top editor.“Somebody exposed an effort to scapegoat Wiles, an effort that likely includes a power play by Stephen Miller to become Chief of Staff in name,” Wheeler wrote.In the letter, Scharf demanded that Politico retract three stories about Wiles and “issue corrections promptly, or face the consequences.”Failure to respond within 48 hours, he wrote, would prompt a review of “Politico’s relationship with the White House” and “consideration of all other appropriate and available legal remedies.”Wheeler wrote, “But flip this threat around and consider the subject matter newly-installed White House counsel is trying to...