National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Friday poured cold water on reports that he plans to leave the White House in the coming weeks.
That report is “not true,” Hassett told CNBC’s Eamon Javers in a text message.
Semaphore reported early Friday afternoon that Hassett had been “inquiring about a role outside the administration” even before the Republican Party’s crushing defeat in last week’s midterm elections.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his adviser David Zervos have been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Hassett, Semaphore newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with his plans.
However, a White House official told CNBC in a statement late Friday that “there is no factual basis for this report.”
“Kevin Hassett is a key member of President Trump’s economic team and will continue to work to advance President Trump’s economic policies,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity regarding the matter.
Zervos declined to comment when contacted by phone after Semafor’s article was published.
Hassett has denied leaving the White House, but several other Trump administration officials have resigned since Democrats won a stunning victory in the Nov. 3 midterm elections that turned Congress red and overhauled President Donald Trump’s plans for the remainder of his term.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles resigned from her post on Friday and was replaced by Stephen Miller. Several Justice Department officials have also left since Election Day, including Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, and John Eisenberg, head of its national security division.
