There are multiple empty or temporarily filled seats in President Donald Trump’s administration, thanks, in part, to the President’s penchant for ousting officials before he has conjured up a replacement.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) may have a partial role in the vacancies as well, according to Politico.
Trump still doesn’t have a candidate to replace Nikki Haley as ambassador to the United Nations when she leaves at the end of the year; he’s without a deputy national security adviser; his acting attorney general has caused increased anxiety among Democrats and Republicans over the fate of the Russia probe. But McConnell has made it clear to Trump that no new attorney general, or other administration position appointment, will come from his caucus, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority.
“It’s not going to come from our caucus, I can tell you that,” he told the Associate Press when asked who would replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Sessions’ appointment as attorney general ended up causing a massive headache for McConnell after Democrat Doug Jones bested Roy Moore — who was accused of molesting teen girls when he was in his 30s — in the Alabama Senate race last year.