Thread: Vanity Fair: Trump to interview for Kelly replacements at Mar-a-Lago

Vanity Fair: Trump to interview for Kelly replacements at Mar-a-Lago


BY JOHN BOWDEN - 03/09/18 03:24 PM EST


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President Trump is increasingly dissatisfied with White House chief of staff John Kelly and plans to interview possible replacements for him, according to Vanity Fair.

A Republican close to the White House told the magazine that Trump is eager to implement a "clean reset" of White House staff in the coming weeks. Trump could begin interviewing candidates starting this weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club, the report says.

“Trump is going for a clean reset, but he needs to do it in a way that’s systemic so it doesn’t look like it’s chaos,” one unnamed Republican told the website.

“He’s going for a clean slate,” another GOP source said.

Rumors of Kelly's possible departure have swirled for weeks. The White House has stood behind him, saying Trump has confidence in his chief of staff.

In addition to Kelly, Trump is eager to replace national security adviser H.R. McMaster, with whom the president has clashed for months, according to Vanity Fair.

Earlier this month, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said McMaster is "not going anywhere."

Also possibly on the way out, according to Vanity Fair, are Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka Trump. Kushner had his security clearance downgraded in February, and recent reports have raised questions about meetings Kushner had at the White House with investors who later gave loans to Kushner Companies.

Trump is reportedly eyeing Kushner to return to New York to work alongside Brad Parscale, Trump's newly-named campaign manager who is working on his 2020 reelection bid.

“He is looking at everything he can do that doesn’t require a clearance,” one former White House official said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill on the report.
The Trump administration has seen a wave of high-profile resignations in recent weeks, including White House communications director and longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks.

Gary Cohn, the president's top economic adviser, announced his resignation this week after disagreeing with Trump's decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administ...s-next-week-at