Longtime political strategist Rick Wiley has accepted a senior position with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, making him the second Washington insider the Republican front-runner has hired since last month.
Wiley most recently served as campaign manager for Scott Walker until the Wisconsin governor ended his presidential bid in late September. His hiring comes two weeks after veteran GOP operative Paul Manafort joined team Trump as a senior advisor and later became Trump’s convention manager.
“Rick is a seasoned political expert with a very successful career in winning elections,” Trump said in a statement announcing the hire.
“He brings decades of experience, and his deep ties to political leaders and activists across the country will be a tremendous asset as we enter the final phase of securing the nomination,” he added.
Wiley and Manafort will reportedly be based from campaign’s upcoming campaign office on Capitol Hill.
The former Republican National Committee staffer will likely work Trump’s congressional leadership committee to bolster the billionaire’s relationships with federal lawmakers and assist Manafort in ensuring the campaign is prepared for what is likely to be an intense battle for delegates in California.
“Voters are frustrated with the political status quo in our country and are hungry for an outsider to shake up Washington,” Wiley said in the press release. “Donald Trump has energized millions of hard working people across the country with his no-nonsense straight talk and will bring his record of success to tackle the real problems that face our nation.”
Wiley joins the Trump campaign just days after his former boss was mentioned as a potential running mate by Trump.
“There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven’t told anybody names … I like Walker actually in a lot of ways,” Trump said Monday in an interview with USA Today.
