Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Tuesday he abruptly left President-elect Donald Trump's transition team Monday because "they're going in a different direction."

"All the work has happened," he told Jim Sciutto on CNN. "The national security portfolio, the position papers, the short papers and the wider position papers were done.

"They're getting ready to do what's called landing teams," he adding, referring to groups that meet with existing agency officials as part of transition efforts. "All of those people had been vetted.

"Those people are getting ready to go in. I think it's a natural course."

Rogers said Vice President-elect Mike Pence would head up the transition team.

"This is just kind of the natural occurrence of a campaign."

In response to a question about infighting within the Trump campaign in New York, Rogers described it as "a little confusion."

"I think there is, but I think this is growing pains."

Rogers said in a statement Tuesday to The New York Times he was "proud of the team that we assembled at Trump for America to produce meaningful policy, personnel and agency action guidance on the complex national security challenges facing our great country."

He added he was "pleased to hand off our work" to the team headed by Pence.

"Once they integrate people who have been doing it with people in New York, I think you'll see a smoother transition," Rogers told Sciutto.

He added he had confidence in the abilities of those who will be eventually appointed to Trump's administration and debunked reports few people were interested in serving in his White House.

"I'm always skeptical of the name game," Rogers said. "The names I saw in my portfolios that were sent up to New York are very qualified people.

"America would be comforted that they could serve in the capacities of which they were recommended for.

"This notion that there is no one interested, thousands and thousands and thousands of really good people were interested," he added. "A little bit before the election — and a lot after the election.

"Surprisingly."