According to two sources who have spoken with the president about this issue in recent days, he has expressed his desire for at least one prominent “leaker” to be conclusively identified and “dealt with,” in order to make an example of him or her. Some Trump allies outside the White House are equally, if not more, livid and threatening to name and shame West Wing staffers whom they believe to be among the most egregious of Trump-subverting leakers.

Despite the recriminations, few people close to Trump or his senior staff actually believe that such a show of force will do anything to fundamentally fix the root problem.

“This is a culture problem,” one former Trump administration official assessed. “You’re not going to stop the leaking by shuffling around lower-level staff. The only way to change the culture in the White House is if you start making changes with senior-level staff.”