Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has withdrawn his name for an assistant secretary position at the Department of Homeland Security, according to news reports Saturday.
Clarke, 60, who said he had accepted the post last month, told Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Friday that he was withdrawing from the position, Craig Peterson, one of Clarke's advisers, told The Washington Post.
"Sheriff Clarke is 100 percent committed to the success of President Trump and believes his skills could be better utilized to promote the president's agenda in a more aggressive role," Peterson said in a statement Saturday.
"Sheriff Clarke told Secretary Kelly he is very appreciative of the tremendous opportunity the secretary was offering, and expressed his support for the secretary and the agency," he added.
Though Clarke said he was joining DHS last month, no formal position had been offered – and he was still serving as Milwaukee sheriff on Friday, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.
President Donald Trump met with Clarke on his visit to Milwaukee on Tuesday, and they "talked about alternative roles for Clarke," Peterson told the Journal-Sentinel.
Clarke was expected to start the DHS role in June. A Trump administration source told the Post that the appointment was subjected to delays – and that's in part why the sheriff withdrew.
Clarke, a vocal Trump supporter, has been sheriff since March 2002.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.