People walk in front of the Trump Tower in New York October 24, 2012. Donald Trump offered to pay $5 million to the charity of President Barack Obama’s choice if Obama releases his college and passport records, the real estate mogul and television personality said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Vice President-elect Mike Pence will assume total control of the job of leading Donald Trump’s transition effort, taking the job of Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, as Trump moves to assemble the best government possible after his stunning victory in Tuesday’s election.
Christie had led the transition effort for the last several months, but the surprise nature of Trump’s win meant the camp would be forced to scramble to begin assembling a body much sooner. Christie’s standing with the administration has been in question over the last several weeks after two of his former aides were convicted in a scandal involving the political motivation behind lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in 2013.
Trump told advisers he wants to tap into Pence’s Washington prowess, using his contacts and experience to help the process move along, according to people familiar with the discussions. An executive committee including members of Congress will advise Pence as the process moves along.
Christie, along with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, and Michael T. Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who has been a top campaign supporter, will serve as vice chairmen of the transition, according to a report from the New York Times. Rick Dearborn, the chief of staff to Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, will move from the campaign’s Washington office to help run the transition office.
The transition team is also adding a dozen new members,including a Republican donor, Rebekah Mercer; Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s campaign chairman; Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee; Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal; Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee; and three of Trump’s adult children and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
His administration is being constructed behind the scenes, but like everything in the nation’s capital, nothing can stay a secret forever.
One thing is clear already: Those helping Trump make the decisions are the members of his campaign’s inner circle. At Trump Tower on Friday morning, the president-elect’s closest aides arrived, one by one, waving to journalists as they entered elevators to Trump’s offices.
They included David Bossie, the deputy campaign manager; Steve Bannon, the campaign chief; and Hope Hicks, the campaign spokeswoman. Giuliani arrived just before 10 a.m., a few minutes after Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager. Brad Parscale, the campaign’s digital director, also headed up to the top floors.
For now, the president-elect has firmly locked himself inside Trump Tower, after returning from a whirlwind of meetings at the White House and Capitol Thursday. The tower has been transformed into a literal fortress of security by the Secret Service — the building now has been ringed by Jersey barriers and concrete blocks marked “NYPD.” The Secret Service has set up checkpoints on each end of 56th Street near the tower, and pedestrian access has been restricted around the building.
