U.S. President Donald Trump said he would replace his current chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Mark Meadows, a Republican congressman who is one of the president’s staunchest defenders.

Meadows will be the president’s fourth chief of staff. Trump said Mulvaney will now serve as the special envoy for Northern Ireland.

Meadows will be the president’s fourth chief of staff. Trump said Mulvaney will now serve as the special envoy for Northern Ireland.

“I have long known and worked with Mark, and the relationship is a very good one.

“I want to thank Acting Chief Mick Mulvaney for having served the Administration so well,”  Trump said in a tweet.

Mulvaney, also a former Republican congressman, served as the chief of staff for 14 months, in a tenure defined by his entanglement in Trump’s impeachment.

In the role, Mulvaney was a stalwart defender of the president, but his political gaffes, including some statements regarding Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, put the president in hot water.

Democrats unsuccessfully sought to compel Mulvaney to testify about his actions related to the withholding of aid to Ukraine, which was at the centre of the impeachment trial.

(dpa/NAN)