Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Monday denied reports that he will leave the Trump administration in November.
“No. I’m here, I’m serving,” he said when asked about a recent Politico report at a news conference in Lithuania.
{mosads}“They’ve been writing the story for at least nine months now. One of these days they will probably get it right, but it’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, it’s not next month,” he added.
The Department of Energy has also denied reports of Perry’s departure.
Politico cited three sources close to Perry saying he would announce his departure next month.
The report came just days after the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent questions to Perry related to his travel to Ukraine amid scrutiny of the Trump administration’s dealings with that country.
Perry traveled to Ukraine in May for the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose contacts with President Trump are now at the center of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Perry said on Monday that he “absolutely” requested Trump call Zelensky to discuss energy, not former Vice President Joe Biden or his son Hunter. That July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky has become the focal point of the impeachment inquiry.
“I asked the president multiple times, ‘Mr. president, we think it is in the United States’ and in Ukraine’s best interest that you and the president of Ukraine have conversations, that you discuss the options that are there,’” Perry said at the news conference.
Perry traveled to Lithuania on Sunday with Energy Department officials for meetings on “regional energy cooperation in nuclear, renewables and fossil fuels,” according to his Twitter account. He described the meeting as a way to work with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonian allies to “chart their energy future.”
The meeting for the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation included a meeting between Perry and Ukraine Energy Minister Oleksii Orzhel.
“The United States strongly supports Ukraine and Poland’s effort to enhance regional energy security,” Perry tweeted. “Opening greater access to Ukraine’s storage will allow increased commercial activity to leverage the increased supplies and seasonal spreads in European gas markets. Enhancing interconnectors could mean that one day Ukraine can supply its neighbors with new domestic production.”
Updated at 2:39 p.m.
