Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be at the helm of the effort. | Getty Pence to take over Trump's transition effort from Christie Christie's viability was thrown into question when two allies were convicted on charges related to the Bridgegate scandal.

President-elect Donald Trump has shaken up his transition team just days after winning the White House, announcing that he is replacing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with Vice President-elect Mike Pence at the helm of the effort that will shape his administration when it begins in January.

While Christie has long been a high-profile surrogate and member of Trump's inner circle, his viability as part of the team was thrown into question when two of his closest allies were convicted on charges of fraud and conspiracy related to the Bridgegate scandal.


A source close to Trump said Christie “will still be around” — hardly a ringing endorsement.

Christie issued a statement Friday afternoon, thanking Trump for the opportunity to continue in the transition effort. "As we now enter the post-election phase, I look forward to working with Vice-President Elect Pence and the rest of the leadership team to implement that template as we prepare for January 20, 2017,” he said, adding, “I want to thank President-Elect Trump for the opportunity to continue to help lead in this next phase and thank all of the pre-election leadership team for the outstanding work they have done over the six months leading up to Election Day."

Putting Pence at the top of his transition team could signal an interest on the part of Trump in more quickly building ties to Washington, a city where he is an outsider, having never served in government at any level. The Indiana governor and vice president-elect is a former member of the House of Representatives who has maintained close ties to the capital, one of the main reasons he was selected as the Manhattan billionaire's running mate.

Since then, he has served as the bridge between Trump and Republicans skeptical of his unconventional rise through the party. Many prominent GOP senators, including Sens. Jeff Flake, Marco Rubio and John McCain all said they were heartened when Pence's name began to surface as a potential vice presidential pick.

In his own statement, Trump also announced that some of his most prominent surrogates will serve as vice chairs of his transition team’s executive committee. Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Jeff Sessions will formally take on those roles. Christie will also serve as a vice chair.

Sessions’ chief of staff, Rick Dearborn, will help run the day-to-day operations of the rapidly expanding transition effort.

“Together this outstanding group of advisors, led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, will build on the initial work done under the leadership of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to help prepare a transformative government ready to lead from day one,” Trump said in a statement. “The mission of our team will be clear: put together the most highly qualified group of successful leaders who will be able to implement our change agenda in Washington. Together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding this nation - specifically jobs, security and opportunity. This team is going to get to work immediately to Make America Great Again.”

Christie, one of the first prominent Republicans to endorse Trump, had been rumored to be under consideration for the positions of attorney general or White House chief of staff. Giuliani, another staunch Trump supporter, has also been discussed as a possibility to fill that role of AG or the role of Secretary of Homeland Security. Even with Friday's announcement to shake up and more fully flesh out Trump's transition team, much remains unknown about what shape his administration will take.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Breitbart CEO Stephen Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are reportedly both under consideration to be Trump's chief of staff, and whoever he picks for that role will be an especially important indicator of the tone he plans to set when his administration arrives to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Trump had hinted earlier on Friday about an announcement related to his transition effort, tweeting, that he had a "busy day planned in New York. Will soon be making some very important decisions on the people who will be running our government!"

The lobby of Trump Tower was busy Friday as many of the real estate mogul's campaign staff and key advisers made their way in and out of the president-elect's Manhattan office, including former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Kushner, Anthony Scaramucci, digital director Brad Parscale, senior communications adviser Jason Miller, senior adviser Stephen Miller and campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks. Giuliani made an appearance as well and stopped to talk with reporters on his way out of Trump Tower just minutes after the transition team shakeup was announced.

"I have no expectation. All I do is give my advice," the former New York mayor said when asked what role he might serve in a Trump administration. "Donald has been my friend for 28 years, all my work on behalf of him is done out of great loyalty and friendship to him. I can see already, how he is going to be a great president. And I’m glad I can play a small role.”

The statement on Friday also included a list of people who will join the transition team’s executive committee:

Rep. Lou Barletta

Rep. Marsha Blackburn

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

Rep. Chris Collins

Jared Kushner

Rep. Tom Marino

Rebekah Mercer

Steven Mnuchin

Rep. Devin Nunes

Anthony Scaramucci

Peter Thiel

Donald Trump Jr.

Eric Trump

Ivanka Trump

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus

Trump Campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon

And Trump announced the following staff leadership for his transition team:

Kellyanne Conway, Senior Adviser

David Bossie, Deputy Executive Director

Stephen Miller, National Policy Director

Jason Miller, Communications Director

Hope Hicks, National Press Secretary

Dan Scavino, Director of Social Media

Don McGahn, General Counsel

Katie Walsh, Senior Adviser

Nolan McCaskill contributed to this report.