The White House is losing another senior communications staffer before November’s midterm elections.
Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, whose history with President Joe Biden dates back to when he was former President Barack Obama’s No. 2, is expected to leave the administration this month in order to spend more time with her family.
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Bedingfield, who is anticipated to amplify Biden’s policies and priorities from outside the White House, did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment. But chief of staff Ron Klain said that without Bedingfield’s “talent and tenacity, Donald Trump might still be in the White House.” He also credited her part in the passage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus spending package and $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal, as well as the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“She played a huge role in everything the president has achieved — from his second term as vice president, through the campaign, and since coming to the White House,” Klain first told the Wall Street Journal. “Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the president’s agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmatched.”
When Jen Psaki stepped down as the White House press secretary, there was speculation that Bedingfield would replace her at the podium. Instead, Karine Jean-Pierre became the president’s top spokeswoman. Another longtime Biden aide, Anita Dunn, rejoined the administration to revamp the communications shop.
In a statement, Dunn said the Biden team would miss Bedingfield’s intelligence, talent, sense of humor, and commitment to Biden’s values.
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“From long before we launched the campaign, Kate Bedingfield was a fierce defender of the president and ensured that our message in 2020 and in the White House was consistent with his voice and principles,” Dunn said. “Her leadership helped us tell the story about the fight Joe Biden is making for the working families of America. She’ll always be a core member of this family, even as she takes a little time to put her own family first.”
