Stephanie Grisham Out as White House Press Secretary
Stephanie Grisham is leaving her role as White House press secretary, according to CNN and Politico, but will return to the East Wing and continue as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump.
President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is in the process of selecting a new press secretary, according to the network’s reporting. Among the options is Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, who served as a surrogate for the president’s initial run in 2016.
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While Grisham, who was named to the position last June replacing Sarah Huckabee Sanders, never held a press briefing during her time as press secretary, she did shake up the briefings currently being held to provide updates on the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, right-wing cable channel One America News Network’s Chanel Rion said she had been personally invited by Grisham to Thursday’s press briefing. Just one day before, Rion and her network had been barred by the White House Correspondents Association for breaking social distancing rules.
Thirteen former White House press secretaries, foreign service and military officials penned an open letter posted on CNN.com in January, calling for the return of regular press briefings when the number of days without one hit 301.
“Yes, your taxpayer dollars are indeed paying Miss Grisham to avoid you, ironically, like it’s her job,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said at the time.
A representative for the White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
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