Obama says Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson was the 'Designated Survivor' who skipped the inaugur
Barack Obama asked his Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to skip today's inaugural ceremony, in case of an attack on the Capitol or some other accident.
Johnson was the 'designated survivor, the cabinet member taken to a secure location in case something happens to the president, vice president, congressional leaders and other secretaries ahead of him in the line of succession, the Obama White House said.
But a Republican senator has since said that he was the designated survivor. President Pro Tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch says Donald Trump asked him.
Hatch's office said in a statement that he was 'absent from the ceremony in keeping with procedures for the continuity of government' and was at an 'undisclosed location for the duration of the event.'
'At the request of President Donald Trump, I am honored to fulfill the role of designated presidential successor during the inauguration,' he said in a statement.
'As much as I would have liked to participate in the ceremony and festivities, I am honored to perform this important constitutional duty, which ensures the continuity of government.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4141158/Obama-Homeland-Security-chief-Johnson-Designated-Survivor.html
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