Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney has been named by President Donald Trump as the new chief of staff, marking an end to a week filled with uncertainty about who will succeed John Kelly.
President Trump said in a tweet Friday that his new chief of staff will begin at the beginning of 2019 when Kelly leaves his post.
“Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration. I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
“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!” he added in another tweet.
Also on Friday, Mulvaney said the appointment was a “tremendous honor.” Mulvaney will act as temporary chief of staff until Trump finds a permanent one, although it is unclear how long that would take.
“There’s no time limit. He’s the acting chief of staff, which means he’s the chief of staff. He got picked because the president liked him, they get along,” a senior administration official told reporters, refusing to say why Mulvaney was named acting chief of staff instead of just chief of staff.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders stressed that the budget director would not resign his current post. Mulvaney’s Deputy Director at OMB, Russ Vought, will handle day-to-day operations for the office, she said in a statement Friday evening.
“Mick Mulvaney will not resign from the Office of Management and Budget, but will spend all of his time devoted to his role as the acting Chief of Staff for the President. Russ Vought will handle day to day operations and run OMB,” the statement said.
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