The White House on Thursday painted the exit of a trio of President Obama’s senior aides as an opportunity to bring an infusion of new ideas to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The White House announced Wednesday that senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer and communications director Jennifer Palmieri would leave their positions in coming weeks. John Podesta, another senior Obama adviser, is also leaving the White House this month.
“There’s no denying the fact these are people who have served the president and American people exceedingly well,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said of the departures.
“An infusion of fresh legs and different perspective can be a really useful thing,” Earnest added, vowing that the president would soon “replenish the leadership.”
Earnest framed the exits as natural turnover in any administration, rather than senior staffers running for the exits.
Critics have long called on Obama to bring in new talent, saying his inner circle has been too insular throughout his administration.
Podesta and Palmieri are expected to take on senior roles in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Earnest did not outline a list of candidates to replace Pfeiffer and Palmieri.
The White House has already announced that Brian Deese, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, will take over for Podesta.
