Mick Mulvaney out as White House chief of staff

President Donald Trump ousted Mick Mulvaney as his chief of staff on Friday, throwing his White House into more turmoil as he grapples with the response to coronavirus, a sprawling public health crisis that will test his administration ahead of the upcoming election.

Trump, on Twitter, said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) would be his next chief of staff. Meadows recently announced he plans to leave congress before his term ends.

Both Meadows and Mulvaney were part of the House Freedom Caucus and Meadows has come to be one of Trump’s closest allies on the Capitol Hill, speaking with him regularly and helping the president keep Republicans in line. He was a staunch defender during Trump’s impeachment trial.

Mulvaney, Trump’s third chief of staff, lasted a little more than a year in the job, and never was able to get the “acting” removed from his title. He became tangled in the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment when he put a temporary hold on military and other aid for Ukraine earlier this year at Trump’s request.

But it’s not all bad news for Mulvaney. Trump tweeted he would join the diplomatic ranks, becoming the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland.

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