UPDATE – Mark Meadows now confirms that he is open to being Trump’s chief of staff. Trump would be smart to choose him, as he is a consistent defender of the President and a vocal critic of the Mueller investigation.
From the Daily Mail:
A leading pro-Trump Republican congressman said he does want to be considered for President Donald Trump’s chief of staff hours after a report said he took himself out of the running for job.
Mark Meadows, a vocal Trump backer in Congress and a member of the House freedom caucus, told Politico he is interested in the gig.
‘Serving as Chief of Staff would be an incredible honor. The President has a long list of qualified candidates and I know he’ll make the best selection for his administration and for the country,’ he said in a statement.
Original article:
Mark Meadows, the North Carolina congressman and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has indicated he has no interest in being President Trump’s chief of staff.
Mark Meadows declines
Meadows’ decision comes after a report late last night from Axios that Trump was considering tapping Meadows after his first choice, Nick Ayers, reportedly turned down the job. (RELATED: Ayers Declines Chief of Staff Job, Trump Reportedly Considering Mark Meadows.)
Meadows is a staunch supporter of the President. He’s also a big critic of the Mueller investigation, which has so far found no collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Having Meadows run the White House would have been a great arrangement for Trump, specifically to defend him from the coming legal attacks from Democrats. Unfortunately, it appears he isn’t interested.
The Daily Mail reports:
Two people have now turned down President Donald Trump for his chief of staff job -Nick Ayers, the top aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and conservative Congressman Mark Meadows.
The role of chief of staff – the most powerful job in the West Wing – has evolved under Trump into more a laughing stock.
ANOTHER Trump ally declines to be White House chief of staff as president struggles to find anyone to take John Kelly’s job https://t.co/ucS31xs4KU
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) December 10, 2018
CNN reports that Congressman Mark Meadows, who tRump was considering for Chief of Staff, says “No.” Photo: U.S. House of Representatives. pic.twitter.com/9V9dMBw7IQ
— Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) December 10, 2018
The chief of staff search continues
This leaves a few candidates still on the shortlist for consideration. Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Mulvaney is reportedly not interested in the position as of now:
NEW: A source close to Mulvaney tells me he is no longer interested in COS job, Mnuchin and Lighthizer sending out same signals…. list of potential replacements for Kelly shrinking by the hour.
— Nancy Cook (@nancook) December 10, 2018
Other chief of staff candidates
Matthew Whitaker, the current acting Attorney General is also under consideration. Whitaker has been a staunch critic of the Mueller investigation as well. (RELATED: Report: Trump Aides Expect Whitaker to ‘Rein In’ Mueller Investigation.) David Bossie, the deputy campaign manager of Trump 2016, is also a longshot candidate for the position.
Multiple sources tell NBC that Trump is considering the following people to replace John Kelly as White House chief of staff with Nick Ayers now out of the running:
*Mark Meadows
*Steven Mnuchin
*Mick Mulvaney
*David Bossie
*Matt Whitaker
(Sources caution the list is fluid.)— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) December 10, 2018
Chaos in picking a new chief of staff
This entire process has been chaotic. People don’t normally turn down the lucrative position of White House chief of staff. Normally this process is done quietly to prevent an image of unruly decision-making from getting to the press. But this is all happening openly. Something is afoot here, and it may be hesitance to take a job that will require actually defending the President from being thrown out of the Oval Office.
The fact that John Kelly is leaving is not extrordinary. @BarackObama had five chiefs of staff. What is remarkable — and consistent with the chaotic pattern of this administration — is the failure to have lined up an immediate replacement. cc: @ChicagosMayor @DenisMcDonough
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) December 9, 2018
Whomever Trump ultimately chooses, he or she has a tough road ahead. The Mueller investigation will soon wrap up. Democrats are set to take over the House of Representatives. Legal challenges are going to be coming fast and hard at the Trump White House. The next chief of staff has to help guide the President through them.
The next two years are going to be anything but boring.