Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary John Kelly's chief of staff at the DHS, will follow him to the White House, sources said. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Kelly to bring DHS staffer to the White House

Incoming chief of staff John Kelly will bring a former Department of Homeland Security staffer to the White House, according to an administration official and two other people familiar with the arrangement.

Kirstjen Nielsen, Kelly's chief of staff at the DHS, will follow him to the White House, the sources said. CNN reported earlier Saturday that she is likely to become deputy chief of staff to Kelly, but the sources cautioned that her title is still in flux.


"She'll be the one person Kelly brings with him," an administration official said.

The White House did not immediately comment.

Kelly was tapped to replace outgoing chief of staff and former Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus on Friday. Priebus said during an interview on CNN that he gave President Donald Trump his resignation on Thursday.

His departure from the DHS has created uncertainty over whom will be named to replace him atop the department. Among those reportedly rumored as candidates for the post are Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration; and Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who has emerged as a leading candidate for the post.