“His plans have been in place for awhile, but he began telling folks last week,” said a person familiar with Green’s departure.
The outgoing USAID chief, who has been with the agency since Aug. 2017, is expected to be named president of the McCain Institute for International Leadership. Green previously served as president of the International Republican Institute, an organization once chaired by the late Arizona Sen. John McCain.
The D.C.-based think tank lost its executive director Kurt Volker, who served as Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, amid the fallout from the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry last fall after he stepped down following his appearance as a witness in the probe.
“I believe the recent media focus on my work as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations risks becoming a distraction from the accomplishments and continued growth of the Institute,” said Volker, who was involved in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Ukraine. The McCain Institute could not be reached for comment.
Green’s exit from the agency, which has been at the center of the Trump administration’s efforts to divert Middle East aid to religious minorities in the region, comes weeks after he announced a $37 million commitment to 25 countries that have been affected by COVID-19, which reached pandemic levels this week and has topped 1,000 confirmed cases inside the United States.
Earlier Friday, Trump declared a national emergency that could free up to $50 billion to fight the rapidly spreading virus by boosting containment efforts and the availability of test kits.
A spokesperson for USAID did not immediately return a request for comment.
Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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