An exodus from various agencies and positions within Trump's cabinet on Friday [August 18], resulted in more than two dozen leaders jumping ship by nightfall. And while the exit of political strategist Steve Bannon made the biggest splash in the media, a name nearly as big as his began to buzz hours later, as word got around that Trump's special advisor Carl Icahn was also bidding farewell.
According to reports, Icahn, unlike others who checked out this week, isn't leaving on bad terms with the President. The 81-year-old investor does have a number of people who he's been called upon to answer to due to scandal marring his final days, however, his long time friendship with the President is said to remain in tact. Icahn said he made the decision to excuse himself because he “did not want partisan bickering about my role to in any way cloud your administration.”
In the statement he's issued about his departure, Icahn batted down numerous accusations that have been made against him and the integrity with which he pursued his job by the President's side. “Contrary to the insinuations of a handful of your Democratic critics, I never had access to nonpublic information or profited from my position, nor do I believe that my role presented conflicts of interest,” Icahn wrote, before claiming to have “never sought any special benefit for any company with which I have been involved.”
On top of Bannon getting the ax, Icahn leaving followed reports that surfaced about the President's entire 17-member arts and humanities committee disbanding over the President's controversial Charlottesville response. Although it did not get much attention, nine members of Trump's digital advisory board, including top executives from Mozilla, Comcast, and Microsoft also would also abandon their posts before the day was up.
Source: nydailynews.com
