The White House chief of staff sweepstakes is over for the moment — and Mick Mulvaney is the winner, President Trump announced on Twitter Friday.
Mulvaney is currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget, a role he’ll be giving up for this job, and he was also recently the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He will replace outgoing White House chief of staff John Kelly, who is set to leave at the end of the year, with a transition period.
But it’s unclear how long Mulvaney will be the “acting” chief of staff. When Mr. Trump announced Kelly’s impending departure on the White House South Lawn earlier this month, he suggested he might select someone on an interim basis — but it’s unclear if that’s what this is for Mulvaney.
I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration….— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018
Mulvaney said he was honored to have been selected.
“This is a tremendous honor. I look forward to working with the president and the entire team. It’s going to be a great 2019!” Mulvaney tweeted.
Russ Vought, who was Mulvaney’s deputy at OMB will move into the top job at the White House budget office.
Only hours earlier, the president had a list of five candidates, according to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president. Names CBS News had reported as potential contenders included Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, among others. Mr. Trump’s first pick, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers, bowed out of consideration when he and Mr. Trump couldn’t agree on a time commitment for him to serve.
Asked why Mulvaney will be serving as “acting” chief of staff, without the official, permanent title, one senior White House official told reporters, “We’ll see. I mean, it’s what the president wanted for right now, and if we have changes we’ll let you know.”
One administration official, speaking to reporters, cited Mulvaney’s experience as a “former member of Congress.”
“He knows Congress. He knows Capitol Hill,” the official said of Mulvaney, adding that he is “fiscally responsible.”
The career of 51-year-old Mulvaney has risen quickly. Only two years ago, he was a South Carolina congressman, known for his fiscal prudence. He will now be responsible for guiding the president through the budget process and attempting to bring down the national debt. But Mr. Trump has pushed for big spending — especially when it comes to defense — and his tax cuts haven’t helped alleviate deficits, either.
Mulvaney will also have to help steer Mr. Trump through Democratic probes in Congress, when the opposing party takes control in January. Democrats are interesting in the president’s business ventures, as well as his tax returns. The current OMB director will also have to aid the president as special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation progresses apace.
Mulvaney reports for duty as soon as Kelly departs at the end of the year.
CBS News’ Sara Cook contributed to this report.
