INSIDE?:

Trump's latest attacks on Mueller are partly being enabled by conversations with his attorney Emmet Flood, one source told me. "Emmet feels there's nothing there with collusion, so it's fine for Trump to comment and tweet," the source explained. This person added that Trump appears to be in earnest about his desire for Sessions to end the Mueller probe, and spoke of a timeline of a couple of weeks. Otherwise, Trump has threatened to fire Rosenstein himself.

Inside the White House, West Wing advisers fear that Trump is careening toward disaster with few guardrails. One prominent Republican close to the White House told me Chief of Staff John Kelly made his decision to stay on past his one-year mark, in part, to be present in case Trump makes a calamitous decision. "Kelly knows he's the last bulwark against insanity in that White House," the Republican said.

Seeking to strengthen his hand against being fired, Kelly went to Trump this week and said he needed Trump's support. Afterward, Kelly told White House staff that Trump assured him he could stay on until 2020. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Trump was surprised that Kelly made their conversation public. From Trump's point of view, the sources said, it was an offhand comment, not a formal commitment to keep Kelly. "Trump is like, 'Whatever, we'll deal with Kelly after the midterms,'" a source said.

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