US President Donald Trump has replaced White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus with Department of Homeland Security head General John Kelly.
The announcement, which the leader made via Twitter, makes Priebus shortest serving non-interim Chief of Staff in American history.
I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
…and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
Priebus, who had previously worked as chairman of the Republican National Committee, had faced pressure from the Trump administration after being named as a possible leaker by the president’s newly appointed Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.
Scaramucci had tweeted his accusations in a post he quickly deleted, but then ranted to a reporter about Priebus in an expletive-filled conversation in which he referred to the former chief of staff as a “paranoid schizophrenic”.
Priebus reportedly resigned on Thursday.
Kelly, his replacement, is a retired United States Marine Corps general and the former commander of United States Southern Command, who was Secretary of Homeland Security until his appointment as the new chief of staff.
Trump referred to Kelly as a “great American”, and a “great leader”.
“John has done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my administration,” the leader tweeted.
Trump thanked Priebus for his “service and dedication to his country” and said he was “proud” of the former chief of staff.
I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017