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Trump Taps Dan Brouillette to Succeed Rick Perry as Energy Secretary Trump Taps Dan Brouillette to Succeed Rick Perry as Energy Secretary
(about 1 hour later)
President Trump said on Friday that he planned to nominate Dan Brouillette, the deputy secretary of energy, to succeed Rick Perry as the head of the Department of Energy. President Trump said on Friday that he would nominate Dan Brouillette, the deputy secretary of energy, to succeed Rick Perry as energy secretary after the former Texas governor said he would resign amid scrutiny over his role in the Ukraine scandal.
Mr. Perry, who has drawn scrutiny for his role in the controversy surrounding Mr. Trump’s efforts to push Ukraine officials to investigate the son of a political rival, told the president on Thursday that he would resign from the cabinet. As Mr. Perry’s deputy, Mr. Brouillette has been in charge of leading day-to-day operations at the Department of Energy.
“Dan’s experience in the sector is unparalleled,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter in announcing Mr. Brouillette’s nomination. “A total professional, I have no doubt that Dan will do a great job!” When he joined the Trump administration in 2017, it was his second stint at the agency. He served as an assistant secretary of congressional affairs at the department under George W. Bush’s administration.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Perry would be “leaving at the end of the year to pursue other interests,” but his resignation had been anticipated for weeks. Mr. Perry has been drawn into questions around the pressure campaign on Volodymyr Zelensky, the new president of Ukraine, which has spurred an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump’s actions. Before that he was a vice president of Ford Motor Company and the head of public policy for the United Services Automobile Association, a military-focused financial institution.
[The new nominee fits a trend for President Trump: a cabinet filled with lobbyists.]
“Dan’s experience in the sector is unparalleled,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter in announcing the nomination. “A total professional, I have no doubt that Dan will do a great job!”
Mr. Perry had told the president on Thursday that he would step down from the cabinet. His resignation had been anticipated for weeks, but in that time he was drawn deeper into questions around a pressure campaign on Volodymyr Zelensky, the new president of Ukraine, to investigate the son of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. That campaign has spurred an impeachment inquiry against Mr. Trump.
It is unclear when Mr. Perry will leave his post, but the president said on Thursday that it would be by the end of the year.
Shortly after Mr. Trump’s announcement on Friday, Mr. Brouillette thanked Mr. Perry, the longest-serving governor of Texas, for his “unwavering leadership.”
“We’ve achieved true energy independence and have shared the benefits of this success story with the American people and the world,” Mr. Brouillette said on Twitter.
Mr. Brouillette, an Army veteran, has more than three decades of experience in the public and private sectors, according to the Energy Department’s website.
Before his transition to the private sector, Mr. Brouillette served as the chief of staff to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; the assistant secretary of energy for congressional and intergovernmental affairs from 2001 to 2003; and a member of the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board from 2013 to 2016.
Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the Energy Department, praised the choice of Mr. Brouillette on Friday.
“While it will be hard to replace the drive, enthusiasm, and spirit that Rick Perry brought to the Department of Energy, I am confident that Deputy Secretary Brouillette will transition into this leadership role seamlessly,” Mr. Walden said in a statement.
Lisa Friedman contributed reporting.