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No heads rolled at the White House Friday (so far). But anxiety abounds

Over at the Justice Department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew G. McCabe, the former FBI deputy director and a frequent target of Trump’s scorn, late Friday night.

His chief of staff delivered a buck-'em-up message that no heads will roll — for now.

Over at the Justice Department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew G. McCabe, the former FBI deputy director and a frequent target of Trump’s scorn, late Friday night. That was widely suspected. But at the White House, the lack of any resolution to the steady reports of coming firings has left the president’s top advisers in limbo, and has undercut their authority.

Some aides say they wake up each morning wondering if they will still have a job by the end of the day.

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Two embattled Cabinet secretaries — Ben Carson at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and David J. Shulkin at the Department of Veterans Affairs — remained in their posts despite speculation that they would soon be replaced because of the president’s anger over their use of public funds.

John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, who is himself reported to be on thin ice with the president, reassured senior members of the White House staff Friday morning that “there were no immediate personnel changes at this time.” He urged officials to come to work focused on policy goals.

Yet Kelly and other advisers struggled to explain conflicting indications that at some point, perhaps soon, Trump intends to fire Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, his second national security adviser. McMaster’s dismissal would follow Trump’s firing this week of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Multiple White House officials have said that the president has decided to seek a new national security adviser.

But during Friday morning’s national security briefing in the Oval Office, a White House official said, Trump told McMaster, “You’re not going anywhere.” At a briefing for reporters, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary, called McMaster a “dedicated public servant” who has a “great working relationship” with Trump.

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Spotted Friday afternoon outside the West Wing, McMaster told a reporter, “Everybody has got to leave the White House at some point.” Asked if he was leaving sooner rather than later, he said, “I’m doing my job.” Then he walked inside.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

MICHAEL D. SHEAR and MAGGIE HABERMAN © 2018 The New York Times

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