Former Trump Super PAC Director Writes Open Letter Explaining Why She’s Quitting Trump

This just broke about 5-8 hours ago.... I found this on Slate. The woman in question:

Stephanie Cegielski, a strategist and communications specialist, says she was brought in to run the Make America Great Again Super PAC last summer, but ultimately came to realize what everyone who hasn’t fallen under the Trump spell could sniff from the very beginning: Trump is wholly unprepared to be president and is only out for himself.

So she does have a bit of credibility, in that she was was in charge of a Trump Super PAC. She's written an open letter, exposing her experiences from inside of "Team Trump". Apparently Trump was never supposed to actually win, something many of us here have long suspected:

Even Trump's most trusted advisors didn’t expect him to fare this well … the goal was to get The Donald to poll in double digits and come in second in delegate count. That was it. The Trump camp would have been satisfied to see him polling at 12% and taking second place to a candidate who might hold 50%. His candidacy was a protest candidacy … And I am now taking full responsibility for helping create this monster — and reaching out directly to those voters who, like me, wanted Trump to be the real deal …

So....she's got a guilty conscious now that his campaign has actually succeeded? What, did the people running the Trump campaign underestimate the American people's love of the absurd, and their anger at Washington DC?

Her open letter continues:

He doesn’t want the White House. He just wants to be able to say that he could have run the White House. He’s achieved that already and then some. If there is any question, take it from someone who was recruited to help the candidate succeed, and initially very much wanted him to do so. The hard truth is: Trump only cares about Trump.

Hm...Well, the Trump people have come forward with a response:

She knows nothing about Mr. Trump or the campaign and her disingenuous and factually inaccurate statements in no way resemble any shred of truth. This is yet another desperate person looking for their fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump is running for President because he is the only one who will Make America Great Again.

Slate article

Well, that sounds like something I'd expect to the accusations levied against the Trump campaign. So I looked into the Super PAC she worked for, the "Make America Great Again Super PAC" or whatever. It seems it went bankrupt. But there's more the to the story, according to this woman the Super PAC wasn't squashed because Trump didn't like it...

And as part of that support, in October, I supported the internal decision to close the Super PAC in order to position him as the quintessential non-politician. I still supported him with great passion after that. The decision to close the Super PAC was part of that devotion to his message of outsider change.

Hm... It sure seems like she has an insider view of things:

When there was a tweet that contained an error, he would blame it on an intern; when there was a photo containing a World War II Nazi Germany background, he would blame it on an intern; when he answered questions in an overtly controversial fashion, he would claim that he did not properly hear the question. He refused to take responsibility for his actions while frequently demanding apologies from others.

The open-letter, the one that is mentioned in the Slate article can be read HERE. It's pretty scathing, and confirms to me a lot of what I personally have believed about the Trump campaign. It's no wonder that the Trump folks are disavowing this woman and trying to make her a victim of character assassination.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Sounds like bad blood, and there is always two sides to every story. If I had to bet, she became disillusioned by an internal battle that we aren't privy to, I doubt her negative open letter was written on a guilty conscience, funny you suggested that, as if campaigning for trump would cause such a thing. Do you think counsolers ought to be provided for those effected by trump and his presence? Don't get me wrong, I am not voting for the guy, but I think it's just bad blood resulting in bad press; but if trump has taught us anything, any press is good press.

a reply to: TechniXcality

Well this isn't going to change anyone's mind that's voting for Trump, the appeal he has is to strong among his supporters. However, it does confirm the things I've suspected all along just from basic observations I've had.

So, bad blood? Maybe...but if you woke up one day inside of something that wasn't what you thought it was supposed to be, would you be wrong in speaking out?

a reply to: MystikMushroom

No I wouldn't be wrong, if it's a guilty conscience thing you would assume this letter would of came sooner it's just a strange idea to truly entertain, it doesn't speak to my reality and the way I see people act. People will go down with a sinking ship so long as there's a payday at the end, and I know many would say never, but call me cynical.

a reply to: TechniXcality

I thought about that ... why so late?

Well, fear maybe? I know a lot of people don't stand up for themselves when they feel they've been wronged, misled or whatever. Perhaps she's been wanting to say something for a long time, but didn't out of fear of being totally character assassinated by the Trump people, seeing as she got a peek inside the operation.

Perhaps it's gotten to the point now where she doesn't care, and it's gone to far for her to stay silent?

I know a true whistle blower, a real honest-to-god one that feared for not only their job...but their very life as well. I'm not talking some internet friend, or a friend of a friend -- no, I'm talking about someone who I'm very close with and whom I witnessed disturbing harassment because they blew the lid on illegal activity.

I saw the death threats, I saw the people who followed them around, I saw the private investigator vans tasked to intimidate them.

Fear can keep a lot of people quiet.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

It's one thing to think trump is an idiot or a blow hard, but nefarious,evil, and malicious? Whistle blowing? This sounds to me like a perspective issue, likely bad blood is the case. Then again, it could be my perspective underestimating trumps capabilities. It just depends on how you want to look at it, anyway thanks for bringing it to our attention.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Hey, I started a thread on this a few hours ago. I thought for sure that someone had posted it, but apparently not. I left a bunch of links there but no one noticed. I thought I might be imagining this until I found this thread. Is this true? Or a joke.

a reply to: TechniXcality

Yeah, it's just another "opinion" -- and obviously something to be taken with a critical eye.

I didn't see to much in her complete letter that dug at anything "personal" -- but it did echo what a lot of people are probably thinking, based on their own observations.

I've long suspected Trump wasn't really serious, but when his campaign started to gain serious traction I think something shifted. I think in the beginning Trump was in it for fun, notoriety, business networking and exposure. There's nothing really for Trump in the White House -- he'd loose a LOT of freedom.

Right now he can hire/fire anyone he wants. He can jump on a plane and travel where he wants. As POTUS, he can't just fire congress. He can't just hop on AF1 at any time and fly to wherever he wants. The office of the president may be powerful, but it has a lot of constraints, far more than I think someone like Trump would enjoy. He's certainly not in it for the money.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Oh, I didn't see your thread-- I even did a few searches

No, it's a true news story...as to the legitimacy of her claims? Well...it's her personal opinion, based on what she claims is her true experience having worked closely with the Trump campaign.

The entire story about the Super PAC being shut down also doesn't seem to mirror what the Trump people claim according to her. It seems there was a general agreement to shut it down.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

The idea that one is close to the center, to the moving force of history, the heart of the coming change, the crux moment to a better future, if only you believe is a very strong binding agent. She maybe suspended disbelief for a while in her hopes that he was and continued to be the things he said he was. Like you stay with a movie and stay and stay hoping that the glimmerings that it is really a bomb is not true, until finally you just have to admit it.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I found her testimony chilling, and what one would expect to hear from a cult member who has managed to pull free of the talons of the cult leader. Seen in this light it is easy to explain why it took her so long.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: MystikMushroom

I found her testimony chilling, and what one would expect to hear from a cult member who has managed to pull free of the talons of the cult leader. Seen in this light it is easy to explain why it took her so long.

And I've met people that have left oppressive "cult-like" institutions, and you're right...it can sometimes take a lot of courage to stand up and go against what you once believed in.

Chances are, most of her family and friends are still pro-Trump, and she's going to loose a lot of them over this.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Oh yeah, it's like those horrible made-for-tv movies on the SyFy channel. If you watch for more than 10 minutes, you can't turn them off...you're "invested" now, and even though you know the movie is horrible, you keep watching out of sick fascination at how horrible the movie is.

I've been totally guilty of that a bunch of times!

a reply to: MystikMushroom

The degree of verisimilitude is very high in her statement. I rings true if nothing else. So either we will hear this all over the news tomorrow or we will not, and I guess that that may be the only thing that matters.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Oh yeah, it's like those horrible made-for-tv movies on the SyFy channel. If you watch for more than 10 minutes, you can't turn them off...you're "invested" now, and even though you know the movie is horrible, you keep watching out of sick fascination at how horrible the movie is.

I've been totally guilty of that a bunch of times!

Ant THAT is exactly how I have been watching the Trump show all along.

IMO this is sour grapes, combined with a desire to get her 15 minutes. She states that she still supported him after the PAC, but her Twitter tells a different story. She started criticizing him almost immediately after the PAC shut down. I wonder if the GOP "encouraged" this story in their bid to stop Trump. In any event, she seems to be enjoying the attention.

Seems to me she's positioning herself for another job. Her "open letter" is absolutely not as focused or coherent as you would expect of a communications professional. Plus she slapped this out there on a little known blog.

I'm calling BS.
From looking on the outside in, I'd say she was told to distance herself from Trump to accept another insider job with another group. While it "appears" she is dissing Trump, she gives up nothing of substance, just a rehash of his obvious glaring faults. Watch and see who her next employer is. Shouldn't take long. Follow the money people, follow the money.


Sure Trump is out for Trump, that's nothing new, however currently his interests and the voters are aligned. Her biggest bitch is Trumps lack of a defined step by step process to change things, however this early in the campaign it would be premature to nail down specifics. Sanders did and gave his opposition plenty of ammunition.

Actually I think it's a hoot she has compared Trump's campaign to West Wing since he's a republican and Martin Sheen played a democrat. I can't count the multitude of times I watched Obama faux pas on simple things that if JUST ONE of his staff had watched West Wing it could have been avoided!!!

At this point the best thing Trump could do is get Arron Sorkin to write his stump speeches and call the election "in the bag". As a point of fact wasn't Trump a democrat before he was a republican?
ROFL!!!

The one thing you all assume is that she started with good intentions.

The way the US play at politics, she could have been involved in the first place just to create this negativity.

Loads and loads of suspects including the Wicked Witch of the United States.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

No she insist's she started out with good intentions.

I'm inclined to believe she got into this as another step up her career ladder. Had she not worked for Trump we wouldn't know her name right now, see how that worked?

This whole thing deserves some serious "side-eye".

originally posted by: rose126
IMO this is sour grapes, combined with a desire to get her 15 minutes. She states that she still supported him after the PAC, but her Twitter tells a different story. She started criticizing him almost immediately after the PAC shut down. I wonder if the GOP "encouraged" this story in their bid to stop Trump. In any event, she seems to be enjoying the attention.

Why would this have anything to do with the GOP?
She could easily be just another wannabe political insider clawing her way up to a more prestigious job. After all you have to make your chops somehow?

Blame your boss for your failings,make sure EVERYONE knows her hands were tied, her job would have been to craft the message and KEEP Trump on point, yet her main complaint is he did what he wanted, so she in effect failed.
This is nothing more than CYA while she job-hunts.