Trump’s health chief quits over taxpayer-funded flights
UNDER fire for his use of taxpayerfunded private jets, US health secretary Tom Price became the latest high-profile departure from the Trump administration last night.
Mr Price, a key ally of Donald Trump charged with helping to repeal Obamacare, offered to quit as the controversy over his travel arrangements showed no signs of abating.
His resignation was swiftly accepted by Mr Trump who had over the past few days had made little secret of his anger over the Mr Price’s decision to spend at least $400,000 (£299,000) hiring private and jets for himself and his staff.
“I’m not happy, I can tell you that,” Mr Trump said as he boarded a helicopter en route to a weekend stay at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
This is a fresh blow for Mr Trump, who campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington if he won the presidency.
More than a dozen senior figures have left the administration since Mr Trump took office in January.
In a tumultuous eight months, Mr Trump has lost a number of key officials including Steve Bannon, his chief strategist; Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, Sean Spicer, his press spokesman and Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted only 10 days as the administration’s director of communications.
♦the US last night warned its citizens not to visit Cuba and began withdrawing more than half its embassy personnel following a string of mysterious “sonic attacks” on diplomats.