Jen Psaki responds to being sanctioned by Russia

Jen Psaki Leaving the White House In May for MSNBC

According to Axios, Jen Psaki will be leaving the White House in May for a job at MSNBC. Many will lament losing Psaki’s tough but fair presence in the briefing room. But of all the White House jobs, the press secretary position grinds a person to dust in the least amount of time. Psaki would have had an increasingly difficult time, as would any real human being.

Leaving a job in the White House to jump ship to a high-paying and visible job on television involves a lot of legal legwork that needs to be done upfront (Unless one was in the Trump White House). According to the report:

 Psaki has been in close consultation with the White House counsel’s office about her departure, according to two sources familiar with the plans. She’s been treading carefully on the ethics and legal aspects of her plans.

No contracts have been signed. Government ethics rules have stipulations about how public employees can pursue private sector job opportunities while in office.

She’s also told some senior officials at the White House about her departure and her plans to join MSNBC, according to two sources.

For those of us who are MSNBC loyalists, the opportunity to hear Psaki evaluate the day to day political flow is just scrumptious.

She will also be a part of live programming on MSNBC’s cable network as a voice on different shows, but she will not be hosting the 9 p.m. hour replacing Rachel Maddow, which has been speculated.

Um, no. NO one should inherit Rachel’s seat without having demonstrated abilities as a television winner for some time. Psaki will be far more valuable bopping from show to show, offering her insights. She will also have a chance to learn the ropes before attempting to tackle her own show.

Meanwhile, no one needs to fear that the White House doesn’t have a deep bench with someone ready to replace Psaki. Any responsibly-run White House always has a replacement ready to step in. The job can be that grueling. A person who has served without any issues for nine months can tap out after a grueling two weeks.

Looking at Peter Doocy, one wonders how Psaki made it as long as she did. Regardless, congratulations to Jen Psaki. While the press secretary job almost automatically launches one into higher-paying media or a communications job at Goldman Sachs, Psaki earned this one.

Jason Miciak

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