Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers reportedly declined to take on the same role with the President, opening the door up for consideration of other candidates, including Rep. Mark Meadows.
Ayers, according to the Wall Street Journal, had been discussing terms of employment as President Trump’s chief of staff, but later divulged on social media that he was departing the White House at year’s end.
The position itself opened up when Trump’s current COS, John Kelly, was expected to announce his resignation also by year’s end. Kelly had been involved in a high-profile clash with First Lady Melania Trump and is allegedly not on speaking terms with the President.
Ayers removing his name from consideration has forced Trump to look for alternate choices, and he’s reportedly considering four people. Axios is reporting that three separate sources have confirmed one of those being considered is Meadows.
I am in the process of interviewing some really great people for the position of White House Chief of Staff. Fake News has been saying with certainty it was Nick Ayers, a spectacular person who will always be with our #MAGA agenda. I will be making a decision soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2018
Meadows Could Get the Call
Axios reports that Trump’s inquiry into adding Meadows as his chief of staff has picked up significantly in the last 24 hours.
“Trump has asked confidants what they think about the idea of installing Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, as John Kelly’s permanent replacement, according to these three sources,” Axios writes.
Mark Meadows would be fantastic, assuming this isn’t Trump’s secret plan to remove all the best members of congress & then spend a year humiliating them before firing them. (E.g. Sessions.) https://t.co/NcGb9mfMRs
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) December 10, 2018
Meadows has been raising his profile with the President of late, defending Trump when details of the Mueller investigation have come out, blasting the James Comey-directed FBI for illegally initiating the witch hunt, and pushing evidence that the Clinton Foundation was engaged in illegality and wrongdoing.
He slammed Comey’s closed-door interview with congressional lawmakers for evading the truth this past weekend.
The transcript from yesterday’s James Comey interview is out. It includes:
‘I don’t know’ – 166 times
‘I don’t remember’ – 71 times
‘I don’t recall’ – 8 timesRead the transcript for yourself. Does this sound like someone interested in telling the full story?
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 8, 2018
Meadows is a staunch Trump supporter, even taking part in a letter that officially nominated the President for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on stabilizing the Korean peninsula.
Hiring Meadows would be the perfect move by Trump. With Robert Mueller’s investigation wrapping up, and Democrats taking over the House of Representatives, Trump may be dealing with a lot of legal issues the last two years of his presidency. Having a chief of staff who is equipped to handle these possible legal threats is imperative. That’s why Meadows is a great candidate for the job.
Who Else Is Being Considered?
The Wall Street Journal also notes that Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Matthew Whitaker, the acting attorney general who did not get the permanent nod, are being mulled as Kelly replacements.
Mulvaney has been a veritable assassin when it comes to government cuts, both budgetary and staff-wise, while Whitaker was criticized by Democrats for his history of attacking special counsel Robert Mueller.
CNN also reports that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin could be considered, though recent reports indicate the President has criticized him for recent stock market volatility.
Who do you think the President should pick as his next Chief of Staff? One of these four or somebody outside the box?
