The White House never called Vitiello to tell him, according to a senior DHS official. The surprise withdrawal of Vitiello's nomination not only revealed a disconnect between DHS leadership and the White House, it also foreshadowed a coming purge . "The shock and way it went down will have a lasting effect, in that people won't easily forget," said an administration official. Asked about the effect the shakeup might have on employee morale, one DHS official said, at headquarters "there's been impact. The former DHS official added that they've been recently contacted by people within DHS about exploring opportunities outside of the department.

Source: CNN April 17, 2019 22:41 UTC