Trump Taps Transport Secretary Sean Duffy For Interim NASA Head Role
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a Cabinet Meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump ... More at the White House. Getty Images
Trump announced the appointment in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he was 'directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA.'
The president praised Duffy's work as Transport Secretary and said he was doing a 'TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs.'
Trump noted that Duffy will stay in the role for 'a short period of time,' but did not mention a timeline for when he will name an official nominee for the NASA Administrator role.
Duffy responded to Trump's post on X, saying he was honored to accept 'this mission' and added, 'Time to take over space.'
In December, Trump announced he was nominating Isaacman to serve as NASA Administrator in a Truth Social post, which described him as 'an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut.' The billionaire's nomination advanced through the Senate's Commerce Committee in April, and the chamber was set for a vote to confirm his nomination after its Memorial Day break. However, by the end of May, the White House withdrew his nomination, and Trump said he was doing so after a 'thorough review' of Isaacman's 'prior associations.' He added: 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.' In a post on X, Isaacman said: 'I'll always be grateful for this opportunity and cheering on our President and NASA as they lead us on the greatest adventure in human history.'
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Habba, who is now the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, also said, "I won't say they're guilty until they go through their time in court, but again, now it's time for accountability." When Piers Morgan said no man associated with Epstein has been put in prison and asked whether "we are likely to see criminal actions being taken," Habba responded, "Absolutely. I think it would be negligent for us not to." Habba added that, "You have to hold individuals who are indeed rapists accountable. We have to have them tried." She said, "To hide lists, to protect political friends, all of that, we don't have time for that." The Justice Department released documents on Feb. 27, 2025, that it said had previously been leaked, but were never formally released by the government. The department called the move the "First Phase" of declassifying Epstein files. It said that "thousands of pages" of never-before-disclosed documents had been left out when Bondi previously requested all the files. The FBI was being ordered to deliver the remaining documents swiftly. "The Department remains committed to transparency and intends to release the remaining documents upon review and redaction to protect the identities of Epstein's victims," according to the press release. Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Mar. 3, 2025, that an order she issued in February resulted in a "truckload" of Epstein files being delivered by the FBI. "Thousands of pages of documents. I have the FBI going through them," Bondi said. "We believe in transparency, and America has the right to know." "Sadly, these people (the Biden administration) don't believe in transparency. But I think, more unfortunately, I think a lot of them don't believe in honesty. And it's a new day, it's a new administration, and everything's going to come out to the public," Bondi told Hannity."It's really, it's not sad, it's infuriating that these people thought that they could sit on this information, but they can't. It's a new day, and we believe in transparency, and it's going to come out." On July 7, the Justice Department, which Bondi leads as attorney general, released a memo stating that a "systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide. "Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither" to combat child exploitation nor bring justice to victims, according to the memo. "No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," it said. After the years of statements from Trump and his circle indicating there were hidden associates of Epstein and the new administration would be naming them, Trump expressed bewilderment on July 8 when a reporter asked Bondi at a cabinet meeting about lingering mysteries in the wake of the Justice Department's Epstein memo. "Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?" the president asked. "That is unbelievable." (This story has been updated to correct a spelling error.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timeline of Trump officials' promises about Epstein files
