Energy Secretary Perry resigning at end of year
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Rick Perry will leave his job by the end of the year, President Donald Trump said Thursday.
Mr. Perry “has done a fantastic job” at Energy, “but it was time” for him to leave, Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Perry, 69, a former Texas governor, has been energy secretary since March 2017, making him one of the longest-serving members of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet.
He was traveling with Mr. Trump to Texas when he notified the president of his decision aboard Air Force One.
Mr. Trump told reporters he “knew six months ago” that Mr. Perry wanted to leave by the end of the year. “He’s got some ideas for doing something else. He’s a terrific guy,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump said he already knows who will succeed Mr. Perry, but declined to name the person.
Mr. Perry’s departure comes as he is under scrutiny over the role he played in the president’s dealings with Ukraine, which are currently the subject of an impeachment inquiry.
House Democrats have subpoenaed Mr. Perry for documents related to a Ukrainian state-owned energy company as well as his involvement in a July call between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The lawmakers set a Friday deadline.
Mr. Trump has said Mr. Perry teed up the July 25 call, in which Mr. Trump pressed Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son, who was employed by a Ukrainian gas company.
Mr. Perry did not answer questions about his decision upon arrival in Fort Worth.
A department spokeswoman has said Mr. Perry wanted Mr. Trump to speak with the Ukrainian leader on energy matters related to U.S. efforts to boost energy ties to Eastern Europe. It is part of a long-term effort to lessen the control Russia wields through its dominance of the fuel supply.
The Associated Press reported this month that a circle of businessmen and Republican donors touted their connections to Mr. Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as they sought to install new management at the top of Ukraine’s state-owned gas company last spring.
The plan hit a snag after Mr. Zelenskiy’s election, but Mr. Perry took up the effort to install a friendlier management team at the company, Naftogaz. Mr. Perry attended Mr. Zelenskiy’s May inauguration and met him privately.