State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has been selected as President Obama’s next communications director, tasked with leading the White House messaging shop during the final stint of the Democrat’s presidency.
“I fully trust Jen – and I am thrilled she’s agreed to come back to the White House,” Obama said in a statement Thursday.
Psaki will replace Jennifer Palmieri, who will soon join Hillary Clinton’s expected presidential campaign. She will begin her new role on April 1.
In tapping Psaki for the post, Obama is bringing a familiar face back to the White House at a time of great flux. With the departure of Palmieri and senior advisers Dan Pfeiffer and John Podesta, Obama faced the prospect of having few familiar senior aides left.
Psaki was a traveling press secretary for Obama’s first run to the White House and had a senior messaging post during his first term.
The current State Department spokeswoman, however, has attracted a fair share of controversy, most recently in her description of the administration’s efforts to combat the Islamic State.
