Trump Aide Liddell Intends to Withdraw Candidacy to Lead OECD

(Bloomberg) -- Chris Liddell, a top Trump White House official, has told associates he intends to withdraw from consideration to lead the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to people familiar with the matter.

The reason for his decision was not immediately clear. Liddell is a deputy chief of staff for President Donald Trump, whose presidential term ends Wednesday.

A White House spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The OECD Secretary-General race has narrowed and the seven remaining candidates are: Cecilia Malmstrom of Sweden, William Morneau of Canada, Ulrik Knudsen of Denmark, Kersti Kaljulaid of Estonia, Philipp Hildebrand of Switzerland, Mathias Cormann of Australia and Anna Diamantopoulou of Greece.

Vladimir Dlouhy, a Czech, and Poland’s Michal Kurtyka have also left the race, according to an OECD document. Still in the running is Mathias Cormann, Australia’s longest serving finance minister. The Belgian-born politician is seen as a potential compromise candidate for Europe and the U.S.

Most of Trump’s senior staff considered quitting following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, including Liddell, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, according to people familiar with the matter. They instead chose to stay until Biden’s inauguration.

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