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U.S. NEWS Saturday 15 december 2018
Trump picks budget head Mulvaney to be next chief of staff

Continued from Front gan suggested he would
be a good fit in an op-ed
One senior White House of- for “The Daily Mail,” while
ficial said there was no time former major league slug-
limit on the appointment ger Jose Canseco tweeted
and that Mulvaney would his interest to Trump. Spec-
fill the role of chief of staff ulation has swirled around
indefinitely, regardless of an array of Trump associ-
the “acting” title. ates, prompting some to
Key to his selection: Mul- distance themselves from
vaney and the president the job.
get along and Trump has When former House Speak-
appreciated how the bud- er Newt Gingrich visited the
get director briefs him, White House this week, he
according to the official. insisted it was merely to see
Additionally, Trump prized the Christmas decorations.
the former congressman’s The wild process was hard-
knowledge of Capitol Hill ly a novelty for the Trump
and political instincts as administration, which has
the White House prepares struggled with high staff
for both a Democratic- turnover and attracting top
controlled House and the talent, but it underscored
president’s upcoming re- White House Chief of Staff John Kelly listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting the tumult of Trump’s Wash-
election campaign. with newly elected governors in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in ington. In past administra-
Washington.
Unlike with Kelly’s ap- Associated Press tions, chief of staff was a
pointment, Mulvaney re- — but that decision was Ayers, who had cited fam- the West Wing and curtail- sought-after job, typically
ceived the news before made by the president, the ily concerns as a reason ing access to the undisci- awarded after a careful
the president tweeted his first official said. The source why he didn’t accept the plined president. But Trump process.
announcement. Trump added that Kelly was hap- post, tweeted Friday: “The grew weary of the restric- Now, many view the job as
and Mulvaney met face py with the choice of Mul- right father of triplets got tions and Kelly’s influence a risky proposition, given
to face Friday afternoon vaney and plans to stay on the job...Congratulations @ waned as the two men fre- Trump’s propensity for dis-
and spoke by phone in through the end of the year MickMulvaneyOMB!” Both quently clashed. order and his resistance to
the evening, according to to assist with the transition. men are, coincidentally, As the search dragged on being managed.
a second White House of- A former Tea Party con- fathers of triplets. after Ayers bowed out, the Author Chris Whipple, an
ficial. Both officials spoke gressman, Mulvaney was For some months, Kelly had void had been filled with expert on chiefs of staff,
on condition of anonym- among a faction on the success streamlining the Trump’s specialty: drama. had called the search pro-
ity because they were not hard right that pushed GOP decision-making process in British journalist Piers Mor- cess “sad to watch.”q
authorized to discuss the leaders into a 2013 govern-
personnel matter on the re- ment shutdown confronta-
cord. tion by insisting on lacing
Mulvaney, who will be a must-pass spending bill
Trump’s third chief of staff, with provisions designed
will now take on his third to cripple President Barack
job in the administration. Obama’s signature health
He is head of the Office of care law.
Management and Budget, The appointment of the
and for a time had simulta- affable, fast-talking South
neously led the Consumer Carolinian came just hours
Financial Protection Bu- after another candidate
reau. Russell Vought, Mul- for the post, former New
vaney’s deputy, is to take Jersey Gov. Chris Christie,
over at OMB. took himself out of conten-
The first senior official dis- tion for the job. Christie cit-
puted reports that Mul- ed family reasons in a state-
vaney wasn’t interested in ment saying that he was
the chief of staff job and asking Trump to remove
said the president didn’t him from consideration.
need to change Mul- He had met with Trump on
vaney’s mind, though the Thursday to discuss the job,
budget director had pre- according to a person fa-
viously signaled disinter- miliar with the meeting who
est. A person close to him was not authorized to dis-
had told reporters that cuss it publicly.
Mulvaney had made clear The president’s hunt for
in recent months that he a new chief reverted to
would be more interested square one last weekend
in taking over at the Trea- when Nick Ayers, Vice Pres-
sury or Commerce Depart- ident Mike Pence’s chief of
ment. staff, took himself out of the
It was unclear why Mul- running and decided that
vaney’s appointment was he would instead leave the
announced as temporary White House.