Trump on hunt for disloyal officials

WASHINGTON — President Trump has instructed his White House to identify and force out officials across his administration who are not seen as sufficiently loyal, a post-impeachment escalation that administration officials say reflects a new phase of a campaign of retribution and restructuring ahead of the November election.

Johnny McEntee, Trump’s former personal aide who now leads the effort as director of presidential personnel, has begun combing through various agencies with a mandate from the president to oust or sideline political appointees who have not proved their loyalty, according to several administration officials and others familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The push comes in the aftermath of an impeachment process in which several members of Trump’s administration provided damning testimony about his behavior with regard to Ukraine. The stream of officials publicly criticizing Trump’s actions frustrated the president and caused him to fixate on cleaning house after his acquittal this month.

‘‘We want bad people out of our government!’’ Trump tweeted Feb. 13, kicking off a tumultuous stretch of firings, resignations, controversial appointments, and private skirmishes that have since spilled into public view.

John Rood, the official in charge of Defense Department policy who had certified that Ukraine had met anti-corruption obligations, was let go this week. Victoria Coates, the deputy national security adviser who was viewed with suspicion by some White House aides, was removed from her post and was moved to an advisory position in the Energy Department.

McEntee, a 29-year-old former campaign aide, spent part of this week asking officials in various Cabinet agencies to provide names of political appointees working in government who are not fully supportive of Trump’s presidency, according to administration officials.

Trump selected Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany, as director of national intelligence in place of Joseph Maguire after becoming angry last week when he learned that a US intelligence official had told lawmakers that Russia wants to see him reelected, according to people familiar with the matter.

Maguire’s deputy, Andrew Hallman, resigned Friday. Grenell hired Kash Patel, a National Security Council aide who has worked in the past to cast doubt on the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference. Grenell has requested access to information from the CIA and other intelligence agencies, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, administration officials are conducting a search for the ‘‘Anonymous’’ author of a tell-all book about Trump titled ‘‘A Warning,’’ according to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.