White House Chief of Staff John Kelly’s old role is finally being filled.
President Trump will soon name Kirstjen Nielsen to be the new Department of Homeland Security Secretary. Nielsen is Kelly’s current deputy at the White House and a cyber-security expert. She served on the White House Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush and is also Kelly’s pick to replace him at the crucial agency. Politico reports: “Considered a dark horse candidate for the post, she rose to the top of the list at Kelly’s recommendation — and after other candidates fell through.”
President Trump is expected to name Kirstjen Nielsen as DHS Secretary, CNN WH team reports.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 11, 2017
Should Nielsen be nominated and confirmed, she will fill a crucial position that has been vacant ever since John Kelly became the White House chief of staff back in July.
There were rumblings that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would have taken over DHS, but it appears that may not happen now.
A few days ago, The Washington Post reported on the delayed filling of Kelly’s post at the DHS, noting that the organization, which has “240,000 employees, a $40 billion budget and a mile-wide organizational chart,” was facing challenges from every side, including domestic security, hurricane cleanup, and enforcing President Trump’s immigration policies.
With it all but official that Nielsen will get the nod to head up the organization, hopefully this will get the agency back to full working order.
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