Carney To Step Down As White House Press Secretary

He comes to this place with a reporter's perspective," Obama told reporters after interrupting Carney midsentence as he responded to a question on Ukraine in the Brady Press Briefing Room "That's why, believe it or not, I think he will miss hanging out with you." Obama said that Carney had demonstrated good judgment and temperament and said he will continue to rely on his advice from outside the West Wing. The two men embraced before Obama made his exit. Carney has served as President Obama's lead spokesman since 2011. The president interrupted Carney's daily press briefing on Friday to announce his departure, calling him one of his "closest friends" and a trusted adviser.

Obama announced that Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest will take over for Carney. Carney, who celebrated his 49th birthday last week, expressed his appreciation for working at the White House for more than five years, even though he says being press secretary is not easy. Carney brought rare but practical experience to the job as a former reporter who once covered the White House for Time magazine. He left journalism to join the White House as communications director for Vice President Joe Biden, and subsequently moved over to serve as Obama's press secretary in 2011. The affable Earnest is well-liked within the White House press corps, and reporters applauded the announcement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Carney said the transition will be complete around mid-June, but that Earnest will take his place traveling next week on a trip that Obama has scheduled to Europe.

The affable Earnest is well-liked within the White House press corps, and is seen as helpful. Reporters applauded the announcement. Earnest is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and Obama noted he still roots for the hometown baseball team, the Royals, as the son of an athletic coach. Obama said Carney plans to take the summer off before getting a new job, indicating the press secretary role has been a "strain" on his family. The announcement, which followed speculation in the media that Carney was preparing to leave this year, came on a tumultuous day in Washington. Hours earlier, Obama announced that he had accepted Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation amid the scandal at that agency over veterans' health care.

Carney To Step Down As White House Press Secretary 2014-05-31T04:18:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown