Vice President Mike Pence is set to replace his chief of staff, Josh Pitcock, with Nick Ayers, a political operative from Georgia who has worked with Pence for three years.
Pitcock's leave is voluntary; he had never planned to stay with the Trump administration beyond the summer, according to the New York Times:
Mr. Ayers worked closely with Mr. Trump's top aides during the presidential transition and has a good relationship with members of the president's family and a number of senior presidential advisers. Mr. Ayers is also known as an aggressive fighter on behalf of his bosses, a quality that could serve the vice president well over coming months.
Since the inauguration, Mr. Pence has found himself mired in West Wing controversies, often of other people's making. That included the dismissal of Mr. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, who was fired for not being forthcoming with Mr. Pence about private discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington.
Mr. Ayers also was the executive director of the Republican Governors Association for four years, including 2010, a year when the party picked up several statehouse seats. He has also worked on outside efforts supporting Republican conservatives such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
Pence had asked Pitcock to stay on his team through the transition and into the first few months in the White House. His leave will be initiated in August after 12 years of working for Pence.
Ayers will be assisting the vice president in returning to a system where he not only keeps Pence focused on the bigger picture, but also manages staff-related issues.
Ayers has worked with Pence as a political strategist for three years when he was governor of Indiana and selected as President Donald Trump's running mate.