Gary Cohn Image by Getty Images

By Aiden Pink November 1, 2017

National Economic Council director Gary Cohn is so concerned about getting himself tied up in the probe of Russian involvement in the presidential election that he leaves the room whenever the subject of Russia comes up, Vanity Fair reported Wednesday.

After an indictment against former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was revealed, “advisers in the West Wing are on edge and doing whatever they can not to be ensnared,” reporter Gabriel Sherman wrote.

White House employees think that “For the first time since the investigation began, the prospect of impeachment is being considered as a realistic outcome and not just a liberal fever dream,” he added.

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Cohn’s position in the White House has been tenuous ever since he publicly censured President Trump for what Cohn saw as Trump’s inadequate response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cohn, the former president of Goldman Sachs, is no longer considered a candidate to chair the Federal Reserve, which he reportedly wanted.

Cohn admitted in September that he had stayed in the White House after Charlottesville because he was excited about the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to pursue tax reform. The bill was scheduled to be unveiled Wednesday but was delayed amid reports of Republican infighting about the plan’s particulars.

Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink

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