White House Announces Comms Director Is Departing Just Hours After News Breaks That Another Crucial Official Is Quitting
Changes are coming to the White House communications staff as the longtime comms director is set to jump ship.
The White House announced that Kate Bedingfield, who has headed President Joe Biden’s communications team for several years, is stepping down from her post.
In a statement released on Friday, the White House announced that Bedingfield would be leaving the job at the end of the month. She will be replaced by Ben LaBolt.
“Bedingfield, who served as then-Vice President Joe Biden’s communications director in 2015-2016 and then as Deputy Campaign Manager for his successful 2020 presidential race, has played an integral role in the successes of the first two years of the Biden-Harris Administration, from the American Rescue Plan through the Inflation Reduction Act,” the statement said.
Biden himself heaped praise on his soon-to-be former employee.
“Since my time as Vice President, Kate has been a loyal and trusted adviser, through thick and thin,” Biden said.
“She was a critical strategic voice from the very first day of my presidential campaign in 2019 and has been a key part of advancing my agenda in the White House. The country is better off as a result of her hard work and I’m so grateful to her — and to her husband and two young children — for giving so much.”
According to Politico, Bedingfield originally announced her intention to step down back in July, only to reverse her decision and stay on the job.
Bedingfield is not the only high-profile official leaving the Biden administration.
Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, is also heading out the door, with replacement Jeff Zients poised to put together his own team, Politico reported. This is likely to lead to more turnover in the president’s staff.
Axios reported on Thursday that Zach Butterworth, private sector liaison for the White House, would leave that role on Friday.
Butterworth was a key figure in gaining corporate support for Biden’s economic initiatives. His efforts were integral to Biden’s “green” policies, according to Mitch Landrieu, the White House infrastructure implementation coordinator.
“This White House is really intentional and aggressive about making sure that we’re reaching out to the business community, reaching out to labor, reaching out to stakeholders around the country, to try to develop consensus,” Landrieu said.
“Zach helped lead that effort. … He is going to be terribly missed in the White House.”
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