Who Is Nick Ayers? Tracking The Swampy Rise Of John Kelly’s Potential Replacement

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 5: Chief of Staff to the Vice President Nick Ayers stands outside a meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill, December 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. After the Senate passed their tax ref... WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 5: Chief of Staff to the Vice President Nick Ayers stands outside a meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill, December 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. After the Senate passed their tax reform legislation last week, the next step will be a conference committee with members of the House to iron out the differences between the two bills. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS

November 14, 2018 4:25 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers is reportedly among the top candidates to replace current White House chief of staff John Kelly. But a political consulting firm Ayers founded, and which his wife now runs, makes his position in Pence’s office rife with conflicts of interest, as does his central role as a political adviser to Pence with considerable sway over who gets dollars from Pence’s leadership PAC.

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