An administration official said that U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry has formally notified President Donald Trump that he intends to resign.
Scoop: Energy Secretary Rick Perry is preparing his exit strategy.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 18, 2019
He is planning to leave the administration—although not imminently, sources tell @jendlouhyhc and me.
He declined Trump’s offer to run Dept of Homeland Security, so he’s not just switching agencies.
Perry was traveling with the president to Texas Thursday when he shared the news aboard Air Force One.
Perry had disputed reports that he was planning to leave the administration in an interview Wednesday with The Wall Street Journal. But he reportedly left the door open, saying he expected to be at the Energy Department at Thanksgiving. He gave a less definitive answer, however, when asked whether he’d be there through the end of the year.
Bloomberg News reported in April that Perry was reportedly planning to leave the Trump administration.
Perry became Energy secretary in 2017.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group