Trump announces Rep. Mark Meadows as new White House chief of staff

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep Mark Meadows was announced as the new White House chief of staff Friday. President Donald Trump made the announcement on Twitter.

In December 2019, Meadows announced that he’d be retiring from his congressional post at the end of his term. He was a fierce advocate of Trump during the president’s impeachment proceedings.

The decision comes as the Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Mulvaney had been leading the interagency response to the virus until Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the whole-of-government effort more than a week ago.

The position was previously held by Mick Mulvaney, who served as acting chief of staff following the departure of John Kelly in 2019.

Meadows has been representing North Carolina’s 11th District for four terms. According to his profile on GOP.gov, Meadows is a “ known champion for fiscal responsibility, accountable government, pro-growth economic policies, pro-family and pro-life initiatives, and a strong military.”

In 2018, Meadows was sanctioned by the House Ethics Committee for “failing to take appropriate steps to ensure that his House office was free from discrimination and any perception of discrimination,” according to POLITICO.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. This story was reported from Los Angeles.