Roger Stone warns of ‘rebellion’ if Priebus tapped as chief of staff
Donald Trump ally Roger Stone said Saturday that choosing Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus to be the president-elect’s chief of staff would “cause a rebellion in Trump’s base.”
Stone offered the comment on Twitter, including a hashtag apparently referencing Speaker Paul Ryan, who is close to Priebus, a fellow Wisconsin Republican.
The selection of @reince for COS in a @realDonaldTrump WH would cause a rebellion in Trump’s base. #RyansBoy
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) November 12, 2016
{mosads}Priebus has been floated as a potential chief of staff for Trump, in addition to his campaign’s chief executive officer, Steve Bannon, the former chairman of the pro-Trump website Breitbart.
Questions about Ryan’s Speakership have mostly died down following Trump’s win on Tuesday, with the pair meeting on Capitol Hill this week as Trump begins his transition.
Bannon has expressed his dissatisfaction with Ryan in the past, and under his watch Breitbart published several articles critical of the Speaker.
The day after Trump’s victory, a source told The Hill that Ryan would not receive “amnesty” for his actions throughout the months of the presidential campaign.
Stone’s comment comes as Trump’s transition team considers Cabinet members and staff before the inauguration in January.
Ryan said during a press conference Wednesday that his relationship with Trump is “fine.”
“I think we’re going to hit the ground running. We’ve already talked about getting our transitions working together,” he said.
Others have rejected the idea of Priebus becoming chief of staff after Trump’s win, which many supporters viewed as part of an anti-establishment wave.
Jenny Beth Martin, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund, blasted the idea that any insider should become Trump’s chief of staff.
“No Washington insider, regardless of who it is, should serve as President Trump’s chief of staff,” she said Friday.
“Appointing Reince Priebus (or any other D.C. establishment insider) would make it more difficult, not less, for President Trump to achieve the change the people voted for.”
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