Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers, widely seen as a top contender to replace outgoing White House chief John Kelly, will not occupy that role, The Wall Street Journal first reported Sunday. Ayers appeared to confirm the news:Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. 🇺🇸 #Georgia — Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018Unnamed White House officials told the Journal that Ayers and Trump “failed to agree on a time-frame for the job”: Per the report, Ayers agreed to be Trump’s chief of staff for the first three months of 2019, a time frame initially proposed by Trump. But, according to the Journal, the President changed his mind, asking Ayers to fill the position for the long term. Ayers’ current role as a top adviser to Pence is rife with conflicts of interest given Ayers’ career as a political consultant and fundraiser.

Source: Wall Street Journal December 09, 2018 21:43 UTC