Josh Raffel to exit White House

White House deputy communications director Josh Raffel is leaving the Trump administration, The Washington Times has confirmed.

Mr. Raffel has been a key player behind the scenes and the point man for White House senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

He has been quietly telling friends and colleagues including Ms. Trump and Mr. Kushner over the past two months of his plans to leave, which were first reported by Axios.

Mr. Kushner has family obligations back in New York and plans to return to the private sector, according to White House sources.

The departure marks the latest in a series of shakeups for the White House communications team.

Mr. Raffel worked on some of the administration’s top issues, including overseeing communications for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, assisted National Economic Council Directer Gary Cohn on tax reform and National Security Council official Michael Anton on a host of foreign policy issues.

Ms. Trump described Mr. Raffel as “honest, passionate and thoughtful.”

“Whether it was offering strategic guidance on the communications for tax reform or a foreign trip, Josh’s guidance was invaluable. The White House won’t be the same without him,” she said.

Mr. Cohn said: “Josh has been a trusted partner as we worked to enact the President’s economic agenda and passed historic tax reform. He is focused and thoughtful in our day-to-day operations and in driving a policy rollout, and he will be missed.”