The White House continues to face an uphill battle to fill some of the most important jobs in the federal government. And it seems even the husband of one of its most high-profile members doesn’t want to join the Trump administration. On Friday, George T. Conway III, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband, withdrew his name from consideration to head the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Although Conway was never actually formally nominated for the post, he was Trump’s top choice to lead the office of around 1,000 lawyers.
In a statement, Conway said he was “profoundly grateful” to Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions “for selecting me to serve” in the DOJ. “I have reluctantly concluded, however, that, for me and my family, this is not the right time for me to leave the private sector and take on a new role in the federal government,” Conway added. “Kellyanne and I continue to support the President and his Administration, and I look forward to doing so in whatever way I can from outside the government.”
Conway is merely the latest high-profile candidate to publicly refuse to join the Trump administration. The New York Times explains:
James Donovan, whom Mr. Trump nominated last month to be the deputy secretary of the Treasury, dropped out just three days later, citing family considerations. Also last month, Mark E. Green, a Tennessee state senator and Army flight surgeon, became the second person to withdraw as Mr. Trump’s prospective secretary of the Army.
The president has also yet to settle on a new F.B.I. director after his abrupt firing last month of James B. Comey. Former Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut announced he did not want to be considered for that position, citing his law firm’s role in the legal team being assembled to represent Mr. Trump during investigations into whether his presidential campaign had ties to Russia.
And at the White House — troubled by questions about the Russia investigations — the search for a new communications director to replace Mike Dubke, who resigned last week, has so far come up empty as multiple candidates have declined to accept the post.
Conway is the leading litigator and a longtime partner at New York firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
