Politico reports:

The last time Cliff Sims was this close to presidential power, he coined an indelible phrase for the cut-throat coterie around Donald Trump — it was a “Team of Vipers,” as he titled his 2019 tell-all.

Now a key member of the Trump transition, Sims is showing that he knows his way around the old snake pit.

That has become clear in recent weeks, when he turned into the subject of a Mar-a-Lago whisper campaign that arose alongside frustrations over the spate of leaks coming out of the transition: Why, some MAGA insiders who spoke with POLITICO wondered, was a guy who had publicly portrayed the Trump White House as a den of backstabbers and turf-warriors tied to the hip of transition co-chair Howard Lutnick?

According to two well-placed Republicans who, like others in the story, were granted anonymity to speak candidly, Sims’ presence came to head this week with Trump — who had only vaguely recognized him in transition meetings and asked for more information on his background. After an aide put a folder of clips about Sims and his book on Trump’s desk, he exploded.

Trump was “beyond pissed,” according to one of the people familiar with the confrontation, and demanded he be removed.

Yet as of Friday, Sims remains on the job — and could be in line for a plum administration post. [Continue reading…]