chopping block
Brace yourself for a Trump administration exodus
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could potentially resign within weeks, two separate reports published Thursday claimed, although the White House has denied having any "personnel announcements at this time." Tillerson, though, might not be the only administration official on the way out the door, The Wall Street Journal reports. "There will be significant turnover at the one-year mark," one senior administration official predicted.
Potential departures include National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn, Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short, and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Cohn in particular has expressed his displeasure with the administration, with the Financial Times reporting in August that he "seriously considered resigning" after Trump blamed "both sides" for clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Kushner has been embroiled in controversy over serially failing to properly fill out his government disclosure papers and being a person of interest in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Kushner's theoretical exit from the administration would be a "face-saving" move, an insider suggested to The Independent.
Dearborn might not be on his way out of the administration so much as he might be shifted somewhere else — officials say he could become a deputy secretary at the Department of Commerce or Treasury Department. Then again, he has also reportedly "fielded offers from several outside groups," The Wall Street Journal writes.
Lastly, Short is reportedly in the running to take over the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He also dismissed the rumors: "I'm not planning on going anywhere," he claimed. "I'm actually having fun, in a sick way."