White House press secretary Jay Carney said goodbye to the media Wednesday after more than three years as President Obama’s chief spokesman.
In his last briefing with the White House press corps, Mr. Carney called his service to the president “an extraordinary experience.”
“I just want to say thank you to all of you here,” he told the assembled reporters. “It was all about a team effort. That’s been extraordinarily gratifying to be a part of.”
Mr. Carney is leaving to spend more time with his family and hasn’t divulged what his next job will be. He is being replaced by Joshua Earnest, currently the principal deputy press secretary at the White House.
Mr. Carney, a former reporter for Time magazine, said he believes he has had “a good record, and one I’m proud of,” in spite of how “hot and contentious” the job can be.
When Mr. Carney concluded the briefing, he received warm wishes and a hug from White House chief of staff Denis McDonough. He departed the briefing room to a mild smattering of applause from some of the journalists.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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