White House communications director Kate Bedingfield will leave the White House later this month and will be succeeded by Ben LaBolt, a veteran of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
Bedingfield led President Joe Biden’s communications team from the start of his 2019 presidential campaign, then joined the administration from the start as communications director. She had intended to leave last summer, but then changed her plans and stayed until the interim. Bedingfield also served as Biden’s communications director while he was vice president, after serving as spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America.
LaBolt led communications for the White House on the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson. He was senior national spokesman for the Obama-Biden 2008 presidential campaign and national press secretary for the 2012 campaign. He currently runs a San Francisco-based communications and marketing agency, Bully Pulpit Interactive. He also becomes the first openly gay White House communications director.
In a statement, Biden called Bedingfield “a loyal and trusted adviser through thick and thin.”
“Ben has big shoes to fill,” Biden said. “I look forward to welcoming him back as a world-class communicator who has consistently demonstrated his commitment to public service and who has an advanced understanding of how Americans consume information.”
Bedingfield’s departure follows that of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, who was succeeded by Jeffrey Zients. The changes precede a possible Biden re-election campaign with expectations that he will run again.
There is more to come.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
