Skip to main content

Former Bush Aide Andrew Card Says Mulvaney 'Good Choice' for Chief of Staff

Share This article

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced this weekend that Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, will also serve as his acting chief of staff.

The 51-year-old will keep his current position even as he gives his full attention to running the White House. An aide will run the day-to-day operations at OMB.

News of Mulvaney's appointment comes as video surfaced of him criticizing then-candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Yes, I am supporting Donald Trump, but I'm doing so as enthusiastically as I can, given the fact that I think he's a terrible human being. But the choice on the other side is just as bad," Mulvaney said at the time.

Even so, Andrew Card, former chief of staff for President George W. Bush, says Trump's selection of Mulvaney as his acting chief of staff was a wise one.

"I think he's a good choice. Number one, there have been several OMB directors that made great chiefs of staff," he told NPR, citing Leon Panetta and Jack Lew as one of several examples.

In addition, he noted that Mulvaney "was a member of Congress and is relatively well-respected in Congress on both sides of the aisle."

Meanwhile, Ryan Zinke will be stepping down as interior secretary.

Zinke is facing numerous federal investigations over his business dealings and would more likely come under more scrutiny when Democrats take control of the House.

In a tweet, Zinke said, "I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations."

Roll Call reports that possible candidates to replace Zinke include Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), Sen. Dean Heller(R-NV), Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT).

Share This article

About The Author

Crystal
Woodall