Sarah Huckabee Sanders leaves open question about her future at White House

An emotional Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn’t quite deny Thursday a report that she is planning to leave her job soon, saying she prays daily for “clarity” about her future.

The White House press secretary criticized a CBS report that she will leave by the end of this year, saying the network “got a little bit ahead of their skis” without asking her for comment.

But Mrs. Sanders, who has held the post for nearly a year, also didn’t say how long she might stay.

“I show up here every day, I love my job, I work for the president, and each and every day I’ll pray for clarity and discernment on what my future looks like,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “Right now I think the country looks pretty good and I’m glad I get to be a part of that process. And I’m going to continue to do my job.”

The job of White House press secretary is notoriously demanding. Her predecessor, Sean Spicer, lasted about six months in the position; the typical tenure for a White House press secretary is two years or less.

Ed O’Keefe, a CBS reporter, asserted that the network did try to reach Mrs. Sanders before airing the story.

“Contrary to what was stated in the White House press briefing today, @cbsnews reached out to @presssec Wednesday night seeking comment before publishing the story about her impending departure. She did not respond,” Mr. O’Keefe tweeted.

But deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah, who was also the subject of departure speculation in the CBS report, pushed back against the reporter’s account. He said the network spoke to him and told him the story wasn’t running.
“An hour later, they went ahead and ran it without ever speaking to me again or at all with @PressSec,” Mr. Shah tweeted. “I gave @edokeefe 2 hrs + 2 calls/1 email to defend 1 misleading tweet about a misleading story and he didn’t respond. @CBSNews gave me less, after telling me the story wouldn’t run, about my life and thinking. Responsible? You decide.”