Senior Trump administration official to leave post next week

The chief liaison between President Trump’s White House and federal government agencies will leave his post next week after more than two years on the job, depriving Trump of one of his last remaining senior staff members from the start of his presidency.

William McGinley, who has served as White House Cabinet secretary since Trump’s inauguration, has told friends he will return to the private sector, though a source close to McGinley says he has not had in-depth conversations with potential employers.

McGinley, a longtime Republican election law expert who served as the top lawyer at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, joined Trump’s campaign in the summer of 2016 as the then-candidate prepared for what might have been a contested convention. McGinley helped quash challenges to party rules that would have hurt Trump’s bid to win the Republican nomination.{mosads}

He largely avoided the feuds and fights that have consumed so many other administration officials, which allowed him to survive in a White House marked by high levels of staff turnover.

Out of the top dozen White House staff positions tracked by the Brookings Institution, McGinley is the last to leave his post.

The Trump nominees he worked with praised McGinley in statements provided to The Hill.

“Since day one, Bill McGinley has led a dedicated team that has built a reputation for getting results,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry said. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said McGinley “displayed his incredible perseverance.”

“Bill is a class act,” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson called him “a strong oak.”

McGinley managed the paper flow between agencies and the White House and coordinated messages for Cabinet secretaries on major administration priorities including the Republican tax cut and the Federal Commission on School Safety.

He headed a monthly meeting for deputy secretaries, and occasional Cabinet meetings that Trump has come to enjoy.

“If you had a problem with a Cabinet secretary, you’d go to Bill,” said one Republican close to the White House.

The White House also turned to McGinley at times when Cabinet secretaries became enveloped in ethics controversies.

He reportedly met last year with Carson, then-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and then-Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin to review proper ethics practices. All but Carson were eventually forced to resign.

McGinley was also tapped to hand down the order to government agencies that administration officials should boycott this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a decision made by Trump.