Dan Brouillette tapped by Trump to replace Rick Perry as energy secretary
President Trump has tapped Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to take Rick Perry's place as energy secretary. Mr. Trump made the announcement in a tweet Friday.
"I want to thank Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for the outstanding job he has done," the president tweeted. "He will be leaving at the end of the year to pursue other interests. Rick was a great Governor of Texas and a great Secretary of Energy........He is also my friend! At the same time, I am pleased to nominate Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to be the new Secretary of Energy. Dan's experience in the sector is unparalleled."
CBS News reported Perry's impending exit Thursday, and the president and Perry subsequently confirmed it. Perry plans to leave before the end of the year, although it's unclear exactly when. When Mr. Trump announced Perry's departure, he said he already had a replacement.
Before joining the administration, Brouillette was the senior vice president and head of public policy for USAA, and a vice president at Ford Motor Company.
As far as his experience in the energy sector goes, Brouillette is a former state energy regulator, and worked as chief of staff to the House Energy and commerce Committee.
Perry announced his departure after his name became embroiled in the Ukraine scandal engulfing the Trump administration, although Perry insisted his exit had nothing to do with that and has been months in the making.
Brouillette tweeted his appreciation of Perry Friday afternoon.
"Under your leadership, we've achieved true energy independence and have shared the benefits of this success story with the American people and the world," he wrote.