Published 14:03 IST, October 18th 2019
Donald Trump says Energy Secretary Rick Perry will step down
In a fresh round of shuffle in US Government, Donald Trump on October 17 said that Energy Secretary Rick Perry who is caught in Impeachment probe is resigning.
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In a fresh round of shuffle in US Government, Donald Trump on October 17 said that Energy Secretary Rick Perry who is caught in impeachment probe surrounding US President was resigning, making it the latest departure of a senior administration figure. Speaking to a crowd in Texas, Trump said that Rick has done a great job at Energy, but it was time, three years a long time, adding that he already has a replacement.
Rick had possible involvement in Ukraine scandal
Serving as Secretary of @ENERGY under @realDonaldTrump has been the honor of a lifetime. Today the U.S. leads the world in energy production, we launched AI & Cyber Security Offices, & made environmental progress unseen for decades cleaning up the legacy of the Manhattan Project. pic.twitter.com/ZWZer3yMHy
— Rick Perry (@SecretaryPerry) October 18, 2019
Reports suggest that the announcement came a day after an interview was published in which Perry said that on Trump's orders he had interacted with the President's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani over Ukraine scandal. Trump is currently threatened with impeachment for intimidating Ukrainian president to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden as 2020 US Elections approach. House Democrats are currently conducting an impeachment inquiry and had issued a subpoena to Perry last week asking him to hand over documents related to his dealings with Ukraine by October 18.
Perry's record as Energy Secretary
Perry had lead Trump's Energy dominance policy which had included improving boosting sales of US fossil fuels to Ukraine and other countries and he also oversaw a sharp rise in the production of fossil fuels. Trump had reportedly said that Perry told him that he had plans to resign months ago and that he would leave the office at the end of the year. There were reports that Trump had considered Trump had previously considered Perry for other senior positions, including the Chief of staff due to his avoidance of personal scandals which has hit many of his colleagues. Perry was nominated in December 2016 and was one of the longest-serving cabinet members in an administration marked by high turnover.
(With PTI inputs)
11:44 IST, October 18th 2019