White House press secretary Jay Carney.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is stepping down, ending a tumultuous and lengthy tenure that succeeded Robert Gibbs. Carney served as President Obama’s spokesman since 2011. President Obama literally interrupted Carney’s daily briefing on Friday to announce his departure, calling him one of his “closest friends” and a trusted adviser.
“I actually think he will miss hanging out with all of you,” Obama said. Obama also said he has already chosen Carney’s deputy, Josh Earnest, to be the next press secretary. But while the president tried to joke and lighten up the announcement, the reality is that Jay Carney resigns amid scandal, with the Beltway whispering about the damage he has done to his reputation in his service to his boss.
“Today the flak jacket is officially passed to a new generation,” Obama quipped. After years of being handled with kid gloves, at least some in the press had begun to hammer Carney over false statements and ridiculous official excuses for making those statements. When the Ben Rhodes email surfaces showing 1) that the White House inner circle intentionally crafted a story about the video to divert attention away from foreign policy failures in the Middle East, and 2) Jay Carney, himself, was Cc’ed on the email despite giving ABC News White House correspondent Jon Karl inaccurate answers immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
More recently, Jon Karl hammered Carney for his inaccurate characterization of the American Legion’s position on the VA scandal, which left an untold number of veterans without care, causing death in many cases.
The announcement Friday came on another scandal-ridden day in Washington. It was just hours earlier that Obama announced he had accepted Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation. Carney has defended President Obama from the press briefing room podium on every scandal to-date, from the disastrous rollout of ObamaCare to the most recent VA scandal. He goes with still unanswered questions about the Benghazi terror attack.
“It’s been a privilege,” Carney said following the president’s comments, but Obama said Carney plans to take the summer off before getting a new job, suggesting the job has been a “strain” on his family. Carney also said the transition will be finished around mid-June, but Earnest will begin to take over his role when he travels next week with Obama to Europe.
Carney covered the White House for Time magazine prior to serving in the Obama administration. Once at the White House, he began as communications director for Vice President Joe Biden, and then served as Obama’s press secretary.
The affable Earnest is well-liked within the White House press corps, and reporters applauded the announcement.
“As you know, his name describes his demeanor,” Obama said. “Josh is an earnest guy and you can’t find just a nicer individual even outside of Washington.”
What does the future hold for Jay Carney?
He put an end to rumors that he would serve as ambassador to Russia, though he covered the collapse of the Soviet Empire for Time. But his wife and two children wouldn’t welcome such a move, he stated. According to his comments, he has made no decision yet on his next move, but is excited about some of the possibilities he’s begun to explore.
