HMM: Hill staffers secretly worked on Trump’s immigration order.

The work of the committee aides began during the transition period after the election and before Donald Trump was sworn in. The staffers signed nondisclosure agreements, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Trump’s transition operation forced its staff to sign these agreements, but it would be unusual to extend that requirement to congressional employees. Rexrode declined to comment on the nondisclosure pacts.

It’s extremely rare for administration officials to circumvent Republican leadership and work directly with congressional committee aides. But the House Judiciary Committee has some of the most experienced staffers when it comes to immigration policy.

And:

Since the staffers did not inform Republican leaders about their work, Hill leaders and the House Homeland Security panels were never given the chance to vet the order for potential problems — such as the issue with green card holders that caused authorized U.S. immigrants to be threatened with deportation at airports.

Even supporters of the administration believe the administration erred in its lack of communication. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally, speculated that the administration could have given “people a heads up a week or so out and get them on the same page.” But he cautioned that the administration is “understaffed and Trump is impatient,” and the White House has a natural learning curve.

Newt Gingrich, who is close with Trump, said, “They could have waited a couple days, and they would have done better. I think some of this stuff is they’re learning how to roller skate. They can’t understand in advance, they have to do it for the first time.”

It appears for now that Trump was in a rush to fulfill a signature campaign promise, and maybe was also worried about leaks from the Hill and from his own high-level appointees — even SecState Rex Tillerson, Homeland Security Chief John Kelly, and SecDef James Mattis were reportedly cut out of the loop, too.

Whether this instance was just growing pains or an early sign of an Administration at war with Congress and with itself remains to be seen.