Megan Bower will leave her post as head of the Office of Cabinet Affairs at the White House by the end of the year, but will remain part of Donald Trump’s administration. White House spokesperson Allison Schuster announced this, without specifying what Bower’s new position would be.
“Megan Bower is a valuable part of the team and will continue working at the White House in a new position,” Schuster said.
Bower has been associated with Trump since his 2016 presidential campaign. She has held positions related to the president’s schedule, his meetings with Cabinet members, his media appearances and the administration’s travels. According to Daily Mail, there has been dissatisfaction with her work in recent months, and the transition to her new role will take several months.
Resignation of a Close Adviser to Wiles
The shake-up followed the replacement of the White House chief of staff. Stephen Miller took over the post on November 9, after Trump replaced Susie Wiles. The decision was announced after the Republicans’ heavy defeat in the midterm elections, as a result of which the Democrats regained control of Congress.
Richard Walters, who was deputy chief of staff and a close adviser to Wiles, resigned several days earlier. He had held the post since May, and before that he had headed the inaugural committee for Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
“Serving President Trump was the honor of my life, and I will always be grateful to Susie Wiles for the opportunity. Stephen is building an incredible and capable team to carry out the president’s agenda, and I look forward to being part of it from outside the administration,” Walters said.Miller’s team described Walters as a valuable member of the White House and said that he would continue helping the administration from outside the institution. Information about his resignation was confirmed by Axios.
A Series of Departures
The changes at the White House coincided with a series of resignations at the Department of Justice. Harmeet Dhillon left her leadership position in the Civil Rights Division, while John Eisenberg and Jason Reding Quiñones stepped down from the National Security Division and as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, respectively. Brett Shumate also resigned as head of the Civil Division.
The Associated Press described the departures as an acceleration of personnel changes following the midterm elections. Together with Wiles and Walters, this means that at least six senior administration officials have left their posts over the past week, while Bower prepares to move to a new position.
Trump said that changes to the team were part of the work of every administration. “Sometimes you make changes,” the president told reporters. In an interview with “60 Minutes,” he also suggested that there could be further changes in the Cabinet, but did not name any specific individuals. One of the possibilities being discussed is the future of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Trump publicly defended and described as someone doing a “great job.”
Sources: dailymail.com, axios.com, apnews.com