Obama Announces That White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Is Resigning

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In a bit of a Friday shocker, President Obama announced today that Press Secretary Jay Carney is resigning.

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President Obama said, “I am not thrilled to say the least, but Jay has had to wrestle with this decision for quite some time. He has been on my team since day one. For two years with the Vice President, and for the past three and half years as my press secretary. It has obvious placed a strain on Claire his wife, and his two wonderful kids.”

The president discussed Carney’s decades long career in journalism before he came to the administration, and called Carney one of his closest friends, and a great adviser. President Obama said that he will miss Carney a lot. The president announced that Josh Earnest is the new press secretary.

Earnest has been Jay Carney’s top deputy and has been running briefings and gaggles on his own for the last few years. Earnest is President Obama’s third press secretary. Robert Gibbs was in the hot seat before Carney, and Earnest is following Carney.

Jay Carney said that there is no date set for his departure, but he will be gone by the second or third week of June. Carney said that he hasn’t made any decisions yet about the future, but it is a pretty safe guess that a book will be in his future, and he is likely to return to journalism in some fashion.

This is a typical second term departure. Carney like a lot of figures in the Obama administration has lasted longer than the norm. It can’t be understated how difficult the job of a press secretary is. Years of dealing with the media and crisis situations would take a toll on anyone.

Carney’s departure is a sign that President Obama’s time in office is quickly winding down. The familiar faces of this historic administration are beginning to move on, and pretty soon President Obama’s time in office will come to an end.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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