Donald Trump’s Transition Team in Disarray amid Sackings
Donald Trump has defended his handling of the transition to the White House, amid reports of disarray in his team.
The president-elect tweeted that the process of selecting his new cabinet and other positions was “very organized”.
According to recent reports, two senior members of the transition team working on national security have been forced out.
Donald Trump has already replaced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Vice-President-elect Mike Pence as head of the transition team.
According to reports, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner was behind the change.
Chris Christie was New Jersey attorney general when Jared Kushner’s father was tried and jailed in the state for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering in 2004.
Former Congressman and House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers, who was handling national security for the transition, announced on November 15 that he was leaving.
Mike Rogers and another member of the national security team, Matthew Freedman, were sacked, the New York Times reported.
He is thought to have been close to Gov. Chris Christie, while Matthew Freedman is said to be a protégé of Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager who quit in August.
However, Donald Trump sought to calm fears of turmoil, tweeting: “Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions.
“I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!”
NYC ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani – who has been tipped for a senior post – said presidential transitions were always a complex process, and glitches were normal.
Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated as president on January 20, 2017.