FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2016 file photo, Brad Parscale, who was the Trump campaign's digital director, waits for an elevator at Trump Tower in New York. President Donald Trump has named former digital adviser Brad Parscale as campaign manager of his 2020 re-election campaign. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Republished February 27, 2018 - 3:35 PM
Original Publication Date February 27, 2018 - 12:11 PM
WASHINGTON - The Latest on White House and Trump campaign staff (all times local):
6:20 p.m.
The White House says senior adviser Jared Kushner drafted his statement of support for new Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale in his "personal capacity."
Legal questions have been raised about the use of Kushner's official title in the statement.
A White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, says the campaign erred in including Kushner's official title in the campaign announcement in apparent violation of the Hatch Act. That law bars government officials from using their titles for political purposes.
The official says the campaign committee "inadvertently" added Kushner's White House title when it drafted the announcement.
— Zeke Miller
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6:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump is endorsing Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in his re-election bid.
Trump says via Twitter that Bush backed him "when it wasn't the politically correct thing to do, and I back him now."
Trump is also endorsing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, Comptroller Glenn Hegar and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, as well as Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker.
It is somewhat unusual for presidents to endorse candidates in such low-level races.
George P. Bush is a son of Jeb Bush, who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and lost after a bitter campaign.
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3:15 p.m.
A statement released by the Trump campaign attributed to White House senior adviser Jared Kushner Tuesday is in seeming violation of federal law prohibiting the use of official titles in political work.
The campaign had used Kushner's title and his position as an "assistant to the president" in its press release announcing Brad Parscale as the campaign manager for the 2020 re-election effort. The title has been removed from the copy of the release posted to the campaign website after questions from the Associated Press.
The Hatch Act bars government employees from using their official titles in political work. Press secretary Sarah Sanders says all senior official and Cabinet secretaries have been briefed on the prohibition.
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2:50 p.m.
A top White House communications aide who served as a spokesman for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump is exiting the administration.
The White House said Josh Raffel will be leaving his role as deputy communications director sometime over the next two months.
Raffel joined the administration in the spring of 2017. He was hired to work on communications for the White House Office of American Innovation and also worked on behalf of Kushner and Trump. His portfolio of issues included tax reform and the Middle East peace process.
In a statement, Ivanka Trump said Raffel offered "invaluable" guidance. He plans to return to the private sector. The departure was first reported by Axios.
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10:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump is naming former digital adviser Brad Parscale as campaign manager of his 2020 re-election campaign.
A person familiar with the announcement confirms Parscale's selection on the condition of anonymity because the person was unauthorized to publicly discuss the news. The conservative Drudge Report website first reported his selection.
Trump has left little doubt about his intentions to seek re-election. He filed the paperwork to organize his re-election committee on the same day as his inauguration, held his first campaign rally on Feb. 18, 2017, in Florida, and has mused publicly about would-be Democratic challengers.
Parscale, an Austin-based digital consultant and ally of Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, ran the Trump campaign's sophisticated digital operations in 2016. He previously worked for the Trump Organization.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018