Energy Secretary Rick Perry expected to quit administration after scrutiny in Ukraine scandal: report

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to resign for the Trump administration amidst scrutiny of his role in the Ukraine scandal.

"Energy Secretary Rick Perry is expected to announce his resignation from the administration by the end of November, according to three people familiar with his plans," Politico reported Friday. "Perry, who had been Texas' longest serving governor before joining President Donald Trump's Cabinet in 2017, has largely avoided the controversies that felled others in the administration. But his travels to Ukraine have lately embroiled him in the impeachment inquiry engulfing Trump and his inner circle, even though two of the people called the scandal unrelated to Perry's departure, which they said he has been planning for several months."

Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr are the three cabinet secretaries implicated in the scandal. Mike Pence and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney also reportedly have exposure.

Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette is expected to replace Perry.

Politico reported it is "an open question how much of his retirement will be spent answering questions about the Ukraine affair, which centers on questions about whether Trump withheld U.S. military aid to pressure the government in Kiev to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter."

"Perry has drawn scrutiny because he led the U.S. delegation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's inauguration in May, a visit that came as the administration was trying to determine whether the new leader would be amenable to Trump's demands, according to a whistleblower's report that the White House released last week. Perry was a last-minute replacement for Vice President Mike Pence, who is facing mounting questions about his own role in the scandal."

Read the full report.