Christie Out As Transition Team Chairman, Preibus To Be Chief Of Staff?

A line-up has been announced and Chris Christie has been replaced as chairman of President-elect Trump's transition team by Vice President-elect Mike Pence. The composition of this transition team is interesting.

Pence to lead Trump transition effort

Vice President-elect Mike Pence will replace New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as chairman of President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential transition effort, a change that will cement Pence’s influence over the incoming administration’s policy and personnel.

The transition shake-up, announced Friday, will substantially dilute the influence of Christie and his closest aides. Rick Dearborn, the chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a Trump loyalist, will now serve as the transition’s executive director, replacing ex-Christie chief of staff Richard Bagger.

Christie was named a vice chair of the transition Friday along with Sessions, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Republican presidential primary contender Ben Carson.

Other prominent Trump allies, including billionaire investor Peter Thiel, banker Steven Mnuchin, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Trump campaign chairman Stephen Bannon will serve on the transition team’s 16-person executive committee along with Trump’s three eldest children and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

So what's going on here? What I've been hearing repeated by pundits seems to focus on rumors of some issue of loyalty with Christie but he hasn't been completely shut out. The WaPo article on the other hand frames it as a move designed to give Pence greater influence and control over personnel.

The second development is one that I at least find positive. A few names have been floated for White House Chief of Staff and among those has been Breitbart chief Stephen Bannon. That name seemed to be the one getting the most attention across the media spectrum. However, CNN had been earlier reporting today (see here) that Reince Priebus has the advantage and just a few minutes ago, that a source is saying that Preibus will be the Chief of Staff.

If this turns out to be the case, I think it's a very positive development. Thoughts?

Reince is a good dude. He handled Trump correctly in letting things play out. What we really need is a good DOJ. Gowdy would be a great fit. We may actually get some real justice instead of a hired goon.

The transition teams are bridges between administrations. Christie has trouble with bridges.

Actually, I'm surprised that he is still allowed to hang around. Well, maybe not, come to think of it. BCF...Best Cronies Forever!

originally posted by: desert
The transition teams are bridges between administrations. Christie has trouble with bridges.

Actually, I'm surprised that he is still allowed to hang around. Well, maybe not, come to think of it. BCF...Best Cronies Forever!

Christie has trouble with bridges - you win for Post of the Day with that one mate.

a reply to: LifeMode

I don't have anything in particular against Reince, he seems sane and reasonable which is far more than I'd say about Bannon. (who also has a notorious temper)

Given the nature of the jobs, it seems unlikely that political outsiders even could be effective in most of these appointments that need to be made.

I wonder though if a certain segment of those who supported Donald Trump will see the move as a concession to the establishment?

Who did New Joisey vote for?

That's why.

originally posted by: LifeMode
Reince is a good dude. He handled Trump correctly in letting things play out. What we really need is a good DOJ. Gowdy would be a great fit. We may actually get some real justice instead of a hired goon.

I'd rather see Gowdy nominated for the Supreme Court.

a reply to: LifeMode

Gowdy would be perfect for that job, we need a serious and tough law dog.
Seeing his interviews make me what to clean things up around here. I like him.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I don't think it'll be a concession of the establishment, however we can't rule them out and who knows how much of the established ideals are secretly floating around, waiting to be expressed one day when everyone is not on guard.
I think for now, as with all tradition, you help the people that helped you. I think this is a fine reward and not something to be looked bad at.
Don't get me wrong, anything can be suspicious. Remember when Bernie said he'll support Hillary and then the next article was him buying a vacation home? It looks bad, however the reasons may be different.
I think some very appropriate people will be put into the right places, like Ben Carson.

No surprise about Christie. He's kinda damaged goods now, and it's hard to see what he'd bring to the team.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I think I will wait for the information to come directly from the horses mouth before debating Trumps cabinets and transition team.

This days after election and the surprise of my life I can not longer trust the media.

a reply to: Arnie123

It's common practice for incoming Presidents to appoint folks from among their supporters so I can't find fault there. I do have a strong adversion to Bannon as do many others and I'm glad to see that it looks like he may not be getting the Chief of Staff job but we'll have to wait to see what happens. I wouldn't count Bannon out quite yet, the word on the street was that's who Trump has been leaning toward and there hasn't been an official announcement.

I'm also not a big fan of Giuliani and I'm hoping that Trump sees that to probably half the nation, he's a contronversial figure not only because of some of the statements he's made in public over the last several years but because of the ways he's conducted himself regarding the FBI.

When Trump picks the same old corporate and political puppets as usual what will they say then?


Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich and Giuliani and many well known corporate people, Goldman Sachs types will be in his cabinet.


Change? Already he is picking the same people he denounced. After he appoints his loyalists hell go to the usual suspects corporate people. Trump will be worst because he wants business people as he says.


Trump will likely get a lot of refusals.

a reply to: theantediluvian

a move designed to give Pence greater influence and control over personnel.

On Wednesday night, America will meet the man who could be the nation’s next chief executive officer—and it’s not Donald Trump.

The Constitution says that “the executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America,” but Trump isn’t one to be bound by tradition. He has, instead, made it clear that he intends to hire “the best” and “the most talented” people to exercise power on his behalf. And right at the top, running the United States government, would be Trump’s pick for vice president: Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

That’s how those closest to Trump have described the role. “He needs an experienced person to do the part of the job he doesn’t want to do,” Paul Manafort told the Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman about the VP search back in May. “He seems himself more as the chairman of the board, than even the CEO, let alone the COO.”

America's Next Chief Executive?

Update:

So it seems that Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are advocating for Priebus but that Trump has been favoring Bannon if not for Chief of Staff, some senior advisory position.

Seems we have some conflicting accounts and we'll have to wait to wait to see. Might have let out that sigh of relief a little too soon.

Trump should give him Christie the job as a White House food taster.

Actually both parties always had surround themselves with ex CEOs from prominent firms, in the corporate world, something that I always despised.

Now with Obama was the first president that didn't do that, he surrounded himself with a group of the most controversial people he could find, giving the finger to the corporate world, but it look worrisome that many were people, with links to certain disputable groups.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I'll have to agree, Rudy is a bit rhetoric heavy and even I find myself cringed by some of his statements.
The man is old school and the inner circle knows it. They most likely will either get father time to retire or head some small startup, who knows. Maybe trump might hand over some businesses to him, considering you know, conflicts of interest with his current holdings.
We all learned a valuble lesson in that regars from the Clinton foundation and percieved pay for play.

a reply to: Willtell

Christi have a stomach band he can not longer eat like normal people again.

a reply to: marg6043

To be fair, what Obama did for hillary will be reciprocated with Trump and Carson.