By Jack Phillips
White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield is stepping down from her position, according to the Biden administration’s chief of staff.
In a statement released on July 6, the White House said that she has “played a huge role” in the administration. It came after a number of legacy news outlets, citing unnamed White House officials, said Bedingfield would depart soon.
“Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the President’s agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmated,” said White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “She will continue to remain a critical player in the Biden agenda forward from the outside.”
Neither Klain nor the unnamed officials provided a reason why Bedingfield is leaving. Meanwhile, she hasn’t made a public comment on the matter.
“In the White House, Bedingfield continued as the President’s top communications aide and was similarly integral to every major public relations effort while leading the White House Communications Department, ensuring that each part of the team was working to deliver the President’s message and advocate for his agenda,” the statement said.
Characterized as a longtime aide to Biden, Bedingfield helped work for his campaign in 2020 before she was hired to work in the White House. According to recent White House disclosures, she was slated to make $180,000 in 2022, one of the highest-paid administration officials.
Several weeks ago, Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden’s first press secretary, left the White House and was replaced by Karine Jean-Pierre. Psaki is reportedly slated to join left-wing cable channel MSNBC, according to an announcement earlier this year.
Cedric Richmond, a former congressman from Louisiana, had led Biden’s Office of Public Engagement, but he recently left the White House to work with the Democratic National Committee. He was replaced by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Anita Dunn, who previously drew criticism for praising Chinese Communist Party tyrant Mao Zedong, recently returned to the White House as a senior adviser on policy issues.
In a statement last week, Dunn told news outlets that Bedingfield “ensured that our message in 2020 and in the White House was consistent with his voice and principles,” and asserted she would “always be a core member of this family, even as she takes a little time to put her own family first.”
Her departure also comes after White House rapid response director Mike Gwin departed the White House in June. Gwin is now at the Treasury Department and works in the agency’s public affairs division.
