On Thursday, Energy Secretary Rick Perry notified President Donald Trump that he would resign soon, Bloomberg reported. The former Texas governor had been planning to leave the administration, but his departure may have been accelerated by the Democrats’ impeachment push. Perry had met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and asked Trump to speak with Zelensky. Trump blamed Perry for the July 25 call with Zelensky at the center of the impeachment investigation.
Perry had reportedly been planning his departure as far back as April.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland reported working closely with Perry to connect Trump with Zelensky.
As Democrats pushed their impeachment investigation, Trump blamed Perry for the July 25 phone call, telling Republicans that it was the secretary’s idea.
Perry’s departure may still be delayed, but it appears the president’s decision to blame him may have hastened his decision to leave. During his time at the Department of Energy, Perry has pushed for subsidies for coal and nuclear plants and encouraged European countries to depend on American energy resources rather than those of Russia.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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