Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, who is continuing to appoint senior government officials following his cabinet appointments ahead of his inauguration in January next year, has replaced the White House Counsel nominee.
On this day, Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he would appoint David Warrington, legal counsel for the presidential campaign, as White House Counsel. After his election victory, Trump had initially nominated William McGinley, former White House Cabinet Secretary, for the position on November 12, but less than a month later, he announced the replacement. Trump reportedly asked McGinley to serve as legal counsel for the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, he did not provide detailed reasons for the personnel change. U.S. media have interpreted this as reflecting a shift in power dynamics within Trump’s inner circle. According to The Washington Post (WP), it was Boris Epstein, a longtime aide to Trump, who pushed for McGinley’s appointment as White House Counsel. Epstein is a figure who faced allegations of pay-to-play after reportedly demanding personnel recommendations in exchange for favors from Scott Bessent, nominee for Treasury Secretary, last February. David Warrington, the campaign legal counsel who led the investigation into Epstein, is said to have concluded in the investigation report that Epstein should not be close to Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump criticized The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for describing the voluntary resignation of Chad Cronister, the Hillsborough County Sheriff from Florida who had been nominated as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, as the "latest setback." Trump stated, "He did not resign voluntarily; I forced him to resign," and explained the reason for the forced resignation by saying, "I did not like what he said to my pastor and other supporters." Cronister had been criticized by conservatives for taking actions such as arresting pastors who held services despite lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
