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Impeachment Inquiry Puts Spotlight on Perry, Who Shunned It

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Long after more flamboyant colleagues flamed out of
   President Donald Trump's favor amid ethics scandals, low-profile and
   folksy Rick Perry survived in the Cabinet in part by steering clear of
   controversy.
   Until now.
   The former Texas governor said Thursday that he was quitting as energy
   secretary by year's end. The announcement came as the House impeachment
   investigation highlighted his work in Ukraine, where he promoted U.S.
   natural gas and where Trump hoped to find dirt on Democratic rival Joe
   Biden.
   Trump said that Perryhad plannedfor months to leavethe Cabinet, but the
   timing of the announcement of Perry's departure fits a Trump pattern,
   said governance expert Kathryn Dunn Tenpas of the Brookings
   Institution. Her work shows there has been more turnover in Trump's
   Cabinet than under anyotherpresident since at least Ronald Reagan.
   ``The more important the issue is to the president, the more likely
   you're on the chopping block,'' Tenpas said.
   No evidence has emerged that Perry explicitly pressured Ukrainian
   officials to comply with Trump's push to investigate a Ukraine natural
   gas company where Biden's son Hunter was a board member. It's a central
   part of the impeachment investigation.

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