President Donald Trump announced Friday thatDirector of the Office of Management & Budget Mick Mulvaney will be acting White House Chief of Staff after John Kelly leaves the position at the end of this year.
A White House official said he would step down from his current position to take the job, CNN reported. He will in turn be replaced by OMB deputy Russell Vought.
“I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year. He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!
….I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year. He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018
The president has been in search for a new chief of staff after his reported first choice, Vice President Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff Nick Ayers, declined the position.
Since then, numerous names have been floated as a possible replacement to Kelly. Mulvaney was one of the early individuals being considered until he withdrew his name. The most recent name being floated was former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. It was reported that he was the front runner until he withdrew his name on Friday.
“It is an honor to have the President consider me as he looks to choose a new White House Chief of Staff. However, I have told the President that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment,” Christie said in a statement. “As a result, I have asked him to no longer keep me in any of his considerations for this post.”
Mulvaney was a congressman from South Carolina before joining the Trump administration. In addition to being OMB Director, Trump appointed him acting director to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until a new director was confirmed.
Mulvaney will be Trump’s third chief of staff. Former Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus held the position before Kelly.
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