Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, will replace Dan Bartlett as counselor to the president, a senior administration official told CNN Wednesday.
According to the Associated Press, Gillespie will start at the White House on June 27.
Gillespie chaired the RNC from 2003 to 2005 and was instrumental in the recent Supreme Court nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. He was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia in December 2006.
“Dan is one of the President’s most trusted advisors, and his counsel has been invaluable. His departure leaves a critical void in the White House,” said Gillespie in an e-mail Wednesday to a Virginia state party mailing list. “Like most, I was surprised when I learned this news. I was even more surprised to learn that President Bush felt that I was the person best suited to fill Dan Bartlett’s position. I was also very flattered by the President’s confidence in me, and when he invited me to the Residence yesterday to offer me the position, I was honored to accept it. The White House will make this public later today, but I wanted to let you know before that happened.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/13/gillespie-named-white-house-counselor/