White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short has told colleagues the "diminishing returns" of pushing President Donald Trump's programs through Congress will cause him to leave the administration as early as this summer, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Citing "people familiar with the conversations," the Journal disclosed that Short, 48, told White House chief of staff John Kelly before President Trump's trip to Singapore he most likely would depart soon.
"There are so many leaks in this building," Short said when asked for comment.
He joined the White House on Inauguration Day last year after serving Vice President Mike Pence during the 2016 campaign.
The Journal reported that a potential successor was Shahira Knight, deputy director of the National Economic Council.
Kelly has spoken to Knight about the position — and she expressed interest, "one person familiar with the conversation" told the newspaper.
Knight, who declined to comment, was scheduled to leave the White House on Monday to join a banking policy and lobbying group.
But she has discussed remaining aboard after her new boss, Larry Kudlow, suffered a heart attack, a White House official said.
Short, who also served under former chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, was in line to take over the conservative Heritage Foundation last November.
He told the Journal, however, he was remaining with the administration.
"I'm actually having fun, in a sick way," Short said at the time.
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