The two most-visible spokespeople for the Trump administration are reportedly planning to leave the White House — a report that press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders promptly denied.
CBS News reported Wednesday evening that both Mrs. Sanders and deputy press secretary Raj Shah are not long for their jobs.
CBS reported that Mrs. Sanders “has told friends that she plans to leave the administration at the end of the year.”
The network said Mr. Shah also is considering an exit, though he hasn’t settled on a date.
Mrs. Sanders denied the report in a tweet Wednesday night.
“Does @CBSNews know something I don’t about my plans and my future?” she said. “I was at my daughter’s year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my ’plans to leave the WH’ without even talking to me. I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS.”
Does @CBSNews know something I don’t about my plans and my future? I was at my daughter’s year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my “plans to leave the WH” without even talking to me. I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 14, 2018
Mr. Shah also told people close to them that the report is fake news, a source told The Washington Times.
The CBS report was based on “sources inside the White House and close to the administration.”
The White House press office has been wracked by infighting in recent weeks and there are several lower-level positions left open that will not be filled soon, CBS reported.
Indeed, things will get worse, according to CBS.
“There will be even more people leaving the White House sooner rather than later, laid off or just leaving out of exhaustion. And it is going to be harder to find good people to replace them,” one source told CBS. “I do think they’re going to have a harder time getting the second wave of people in than the first, because those people were loyalists, and [new] folks will have to be recruited and encouraged and then survive the vetting process. In addition to all of that, the president prefers to have a small communications staff.”
• S.A. Miller contributed to this report.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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