Donald Trump asks Barack Obama staff in key posts at Pentagon and State Department to stay on
Posted
US President-elect Donald Trump has asked about 50 senior Obama administration appointees to remain in their posts after his inauguration to ensure continuity in government, a spokesman says.
Key points:
- Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work to stay
- Brett McGurk, who heads up fight against IS, also remaining
- Other key counter-terrorism staff to keep posts
The officials include the highest-ranking career officials at key national security agencies like the Pentagon and State Department.
Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work and America's third-ranking diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, will serve as acting chiefs of their agencies until successors for the top jobs are confirmed by the Senate, Mr Trump's spokesman Sean Spicer said.
Thursday's announcement comes after weeks of questions about how Mr Trump's team is managing the presidential transition, although it may not address broader concerns about what officials at many federal agencies have said is a lack of communication with the incoming team.
Such concerns are natural in presidential transitions. But the confusion among officials at national security agencies could have consequences, given their international engagements.
Mr Trump's selection for the Pentagon, retired General James Mattis, is expected to be confirmed on Friday shortly after the inauguration ceremony, along with retired General John Kelly for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Senate debate on Mr Trump's choice for CIA boss, Mike Pompeo, is expected to start on Friday. It is unclear if Mr Pompeo will receive an immediate confirmation vote.
At the State Department, Mr Shannon will be in charge until at least next week as a Senate vote on Mr Trump's choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is not expected until Monday or Tuesday.
Also staying will be Brett McGurk, the Obama administration's point-man for fighting the Islamic State group, Nicholas Rasmussen, the National Counterterrorism Centre director, and Adam Szubin, the Treasury Department's top official for terrorism and financial intelligence.
Mr Spicer said Chuck Rosenberg, the Drug Enforcement Agency administrator, and Susan Coppedge, the State Department's ambassador-at-large to combat human trafficking, would be left in place for the transition.
A full list of Obama appointees asked to remain was not immediately available.
AP
Topics: us-elections, government-and-politics, world-politics, foreign-affairs, defence-and-national-security, united-states
