Trump adviser Jason Miller won't take White House job after all
One of Donald Trump’s senior communications staffers says he will not take the job of White House communications director after all.
Jason Miller said in a statement Saturday that he’s decided not to accept the role offered to him by Mr. Trump so he can spend more time with his family.
Miller was one of the main spokesmen for Mr. Trump’s transition team. He said he and his wife are expecting their second daughter in January and “this is not the right time to start a new job.”
He said that after spending the past week with his family, “it is clear they need to be my top priority right now.”
Miller said he has handed all of his responsibilities to incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who will serve as communications director as well as press secretary.
Also Saturday, Trump announced that he plans to dissolve his family’s foundation in the wake of questions regarding possible conflicts of interest once he takes office.
Mr. Trump issued the decision in a press release, which said the Donald J. Trump Foundation has contributed millions of dollars to groups that support veterans, law enforcement officers and children.
“However, to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways,” he said in the statement.
The announcement said the president-elect has directed his counsel to take the necessary steps to dissolve the foundation. The foundation, however, cannot formally shut down until after the New York state attorney general’s office completes its investigation of the foundation.
“The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” the office’s spokeswoman, Amy Spitalnick, told The Washington Post in an email Saturday.