White House chief of staff Reince Priebus has been given a July 4 deadline by President Donald Trump for reorganization of the White House staff, according to a new report.
The President is considering bringing in former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and deputy campaign manager David Bossie as senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, respectively, according to multiple sources. But during a meeting with them and Priebus, Trump said he would give Priebus a chance to change things, Politico reports.
“I’m giving you until July 4. I don’t want them to come into this mess. If I’m going to clean house, they will come in as fresh blood”, Trump said, according to the report.
Press secretary Sean Spicer denied the deadline in a statement to Politico. “Whoever is saying that is either a liar or out of the loop”, Spicer said.
Rumors of a staff reorganization have been persistent subject matter in the Trump White House, but have picked up in recent weeks. Communications director Mike Dubke resigned at the end of May and speculation about Lewandowski’s and Bossie’s futures has been rampant.
The Independence Day timeframe is timed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s deadline for passage of the healthcare bill through the chamber, which is also the start of the July 4th recess. Priebus took the blame for the first failure to get a vote on the bill through the House, though the White House and Speaker Paul Ryan were ultimately able to secure its passage on a second try.
Trump has openly suggested the idea of other potential chiefs of staff, including former campaign aide David Urban and Wayne Berman, a Blackstone executive and advisor to Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman. Shortly after national security adviser Michael Flynn was fired in February, Trump invited New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to the White House to help brainstorm about a new chief of staff, according to a White House official and outside adviser with knowledge of the situation, Politico writes.
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