Top Energy Secretary Aide Leaves, Replaced With Perry Ally

Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s chief of staff has left his position and will be replaced by a long-time Perry ally, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Brian McCormack, a former official with the utility group Edison Electric Institute and one of the longest serving chiefs of staff, is going to another job within the Trump administration, according to the people who requested anonymity to discuss the change before it became public.

His replacement John Sneed, heads the Energy Department’s loan program office and previously served as the executive director of the Texas State Preservation Board, charged with maintaining ...