Trump replaces White House chief of staff Priebus, names Kelly replacement
Jul 28, 2017, 2:02 PM | Updated: 6:51 pm
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, departs after a Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that he had replaced former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus with Gen. John F. Kelly, his secretary of homeland security.
I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
…and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
Trump also tweeted that he was proud of his former chief of staff.
I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
In a statement, Priebus said he was glad to have had the “very special opportunity” to work under Trump.
“I will continue to serve as a strong supported of the president’s agenda and policies,” he said, adding that Kelly was a great choice to replace him.
Kelly lead the Department of Homeland Security until Monday, when Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke will take over as acting secretary.
Priebus had reportedly been at odds with Trump over the past weeks. That conflict rose to a head last week when Trump appointed financier Anthony Scaramucci to be the White House communications director.
Priebus had inspired intense loyalty among those who worked with him at the Republican National Committee, several of whom followed him to the White House, including press secretary Sean Spicer.
Spicer resigned shortly after Scaramucci was appointed.
In a profanity-laden tirade this week, Scaramucci called Priebus a “paranoid schizophrenic” and accused him of being a source of leaks.
Scaramucci tweeted about leaks late Wednesday and mentioned the Twitter handle of Priebus. That tweet has since been deleted.
Asked what he meant by including Priebus, he said, “If Reince wants to explain he’s not the leaker, he can do that.”
Scaramucci later tweeted, in part: “I sometimes use colorful language. I will refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight” for President Donald Trump’s agenda.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she has nothing to add to Scaramucci’s tweet.
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
