Vice President-Elect Pence to Take Over Trump Transition Effort

Vice President-elect Mike Pence after meeting with President-elect Donald J. Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell in Washington on Thursday. CreditAl Drago/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Vice President-elect Mike Pence will take over the job of leading Donald J. Trump’s transition effort, taking the helm from Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, as Mr. Trump moves to assemble a government after his stunning upset victory, the transition team said on Friday.

Mr. Christie had been in charge of the transition for the last several months, but the surprise nature of Mr. Trump’s victory made it critical to move more quickly to assemble a team. Mr. Christie’s standing has been in question in recent weeks as two of his former aides were convicted in the scandal involving the political motivation behind closure of the George Washington Bridge at Fort Lee, N.J., in 2013.

The president-elect told advisers he wanted to tap Mr. Pence’s Washington experience and contacts to help move the process along, according to people familiar with the discussions. An executive committee, which will include members of Congress, will advise Mr. Pence as the process moves forward.

Mr. Christie, along with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, and Michael T. Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who has been a top campaign supporter, will serve as vice chairs of the transition, the sources said. Read More...