U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is considered one of the more successful Cabinet members in President Donald Trump's administration. | Alex Wong/Getty Images Two top aides to Nikki Haley quit

Two top aides to Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, are quitting their positions, sources confirmed Thursday.

Haley, on Twitter, indicated the two aides — communications director Jonathan Wachtel and chief of staff Steven Groves — were leaving for personal reasons.


"Both Jonathan&Steve have recently encountered family concerns. They will always be a part of the team & dear friends," Haley wrote.

Two people with contacts inside the U.S. Mission to the United Nations also confirmed the men quit, though it was not clear exactly when their resignations will take effect.

Groves had joined Haley's office from the Heritage Foundation. He was known to be deeply skeptical of international institutions and multilateral agreements.

One of the people with contacts in the mission said that despite his conservative bona fides, Groves never really broke into Haley's inner circle, which includes aides who have followed her to New York from her tenure as South Carolina's governor.

Wachtel joined Haley's office from Fox News, where he served as a journalist covering the United Nations.

The State Department declined to comment, pointing instead to Haley's tweet. The news of the pair of departures was first reported Wednesday on Twitter by the journalist Laura Rozen.

Haley is considered one of the more successful Cabinet members in the administration of President Donald Trump. She also is viewed as one of the Republican Party's brightest lights, with a potential White House run in her future.

Her stint at the United Nations, where she has not always marched lock-step with Trump, gives her credibility on the foreign policy front. Just a few days ago, she successfully oversaw the passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution that imposed new sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program.