NOMINATIONS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Conservative pundit Mercedes Schlapp, wife of American Conservative Union chairman Matthew Schlapp, is expected to join the White House in a senior role in the communications department, according to three White House officials with knowledge of the situation.
The role for Mercedes Schlapp, a former Fox News contributor who served in the George W. Bush administration as a spokesperson for Spanish-language media outlets, has yet to be defined.
White House chief of staff John Kelly, his principal deputy chief of staff Kirstjen Nielsen and deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell are ‘big fans’ of Schlapp, according to a person familiar with the discussions about her role.
The addition of Schlapp, a well-known Washington figure who works as a consultant for her own public affairs firm Cove Strategies, to the West Wing has been discussed for weeks internally, according to three people familiar with the conversations.
Schlapp declined to comment. A White House spokesperson did not comment.”
-Tara Palmeri, “Conservative pundit Mercedes Schlapp expected to join White House communications,” Politico, Sept. 6, 2017 11:30am