UPDATE: Fox News reports Priebus secretly resigned Thursday. Deputy DHS Secretary Elaine Duke has been appointed acting DHS Secretary. She previously served under the Bush and Obama administrations.
“General John Kelly is one of the true stars of the Administration. He has helped seal the border and reduced illegal immigration by 70%. He is respected by everyone, especially the people at the Department of Homeland Security. The entire Administration loves him and no one is comparable. He will begin on Monday morning and a cabinet meeting will follow his swearing in Monday morning," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released in a statement Friday.
"The President thanks Reince Priebus for his service. They accomplished a lot together. He was loyal in his dedication to the President. The President thanks him and his family for his great service to the country, and he will always be a member of the Trump Team,” she continued.
***Original Post***
President Donald Trump has named former DHS Secretary General John Kelly White house Chief of Staff. It is unclear whether former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was fired or resigned. It is also unclear who will replace Kelly at Homeland Security.
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
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
"Reince is a good man. John Kelly will do a fantastic job. General Kelly has been a star, done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody. He's a great great American. Reince is a good man," the President told reporters upon landing at Andrews Airforce Base Friday after a speech in Long Island.
More from the White House Pool Report:
Uneventful POTUS motorcade from Andrews to WH, arriving at 530PM. Did not see POTUS or WH staff go in but the Beast was pulled up to the South Portico, not Oval.
Light drizzle as we arrived.
Spotted Peter King as he went inside. He said that during the flight he saw no indication of Priebus' exit. Chatted w Priebus repeatedly during the flight.
"We didn't even know it. We were sitting right across from him and he kept a poker face," King said, referring to Priebus. King said the president told the congressmen as they were about to get off that he as going to announce Kelly as chief of staff.
Asked what Priebus said during the flight, King repeated: "Good poker face, showed nothing." King never offered a direct reaction to the change.AF1 was wheels down at Joint Base Andrews at 442PM?? under light rain and somewhat behind the official schedule.
It was the mid-size AF1 757 version.
Most staff was off before we moved into position but Reince Priebus and Steven Miller and Dan Scavino loaded into one suburban then moments later Miller and Scavino got out and loaded another van.
As word spread about Priebus' dismissal, some reporters got up close to Priebus' car, taking cell photos and such.
Priebus' car then pulled aside, out of the POTUS motorcade. Priebus car and a follow up departed at 458PM.
The announcement comes just one week after Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced his resignation and after the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director.
The White House has signaled all week Priebus would be making an exit. During the White House press briefing Thursday, newly minted Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would not say if President Trump had confiedence in Priebus. His ousting comes one day after Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare on Capitol Hill.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Scaramucci slammed Priebus as a "f–king paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac."
Before becoming chief of staff, Priebus served as the head of the Republican National Committee.
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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