Perry plans to resign as increased scrutiny over Ukraine heats up
Energy Secretary Rick Perry notified President Donald Trump that he plans to resign from his post, two administration officials confirmed to White House reporters on Thursday.
Asked about a Bloomberg report indicating that Perry notified the president of his impending resignation in writing while Trump was aboard Air Force One on Thursday, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told CNN: “Can’t wave you off.”
Perry has found himself as one of the players in the middle of the controversy stemming from a whistleblower’s allegation that Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky to investigate former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, and that the White House attempted to cover up the conversation. There is no evidence of wrongdoing in Ukraine by either Biden.
Perry’s resignation comes amid scrutiny over his role in the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine. White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed Thursday that the president asked Perry to work with Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on policies related to Ukraine, but Mulvaney denied that their work was part of a “shadow foreign policy” effort. Perry was one of the “three amigos” leading U.S. relations with the country, meeting three times with Zelensky.
Perry told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday that he spoke with Giuliani at the president’s direction this spring about alleged Ukrainian corruption.
Perry also disputed claims that he was planning to leave the administration. At the time, he wouldn’t state if he was planning to stay in his role past Thanksgiving. He faces a deadline today to comply with a congressional subpoena as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry.