Energy Secretary Rick Perry told Trump he intends to step down – CNBC

Energy Secretary Rick Perry told President Donald Trump on Thursday that he intends to leave his post, two administration sources told a White House pool reporter.

The timing of his departure, first reported by Bloomberg, was not immediately clear. A senior administration official said that his resignation would become effective “very soon.” Multiple representatives of the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Perry, formerly the governor of Texas, had largely avoided headlines since joining the Trump administration in 2017. But in recent weeks he became entangled in the Democratic-led impeachment probe into Trump’s actions involving Ukraine.

Perry was one of three political appointees overseeing the U.S. relationship with the country after acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney transferred that portfolio away from career staff, George Kent, a senior State Department official, told House investigators this week behind closed doors. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., described Kent’s account to reporters.

Trump also told House Republicans that Perry urged Trump to take the July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that has become the focus of the impeachment inquiry, according to Axios, a news website. Perry’s office has said that he wanted the president to take the call to discuss energy-related matters.

House Democrats, investigating whether Trump conditioned military assistance for the country on an investigation of his political rival, hit Perry with a subpoena for documents earlier this month. The subpoena included a demand for a variety of Ukraine-related materials by Friday.

Perry recently denied reports that he was planning to leave his post.

— CNBC’s Kayla Tausche contributed to this report.