National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Friday threw cold water on a report that he is expected to leave the White House in the coming weeks.
This report is “not true,” Hassett told CNBC’s Eamon Javers in a text message.
Semafor reported earlier Friday afternoon that Hassett had been “inquiring about roles outside the administration” even before the Republicans’ defeat in last week’s midterm elections.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his adviser David Zervos are among the names proposed to replace Hassett, according to Semafor, which cites unnamed people familiar with his plans.
But a White House official told CNBC in a statement Friday: “There is no factual basis for this information.”
“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 on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
Zervos, reached by phone after Semafor’s story was published, declined to comment.
While Hassett denies leaving the White House, several other Trump administration officials have resigned since Democrats’ stunning midterm victory on Nov. 3, flipping Congress and reshuffling President Donald Trump’s plans for the remainder of his term.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles stepped down Friday and was replaced by Stephen Miller. Several Justice Department officials have also left the country since Election Day, including Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, and John Eisenberg, who headed the national security division.
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