NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: (L-R) Josh Raffel, Jared Kushner and Matthew Hiltzik attend The New York Observer 25th Anniversary at Four Seasons Restaurant on March 14, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)This afternoon, we just got word that another staffer is leaving the Trump White House. This time, the departure comes from the communications team.
Axios reports that Josh Raffel, a senior communications staffer, is taking his leave from the White House. Jonathan Swan writes,
Raffel, a former Hollywood PR executive, was originally brought in early last year to run communications for the Office of American Innovation, but quickly became the point man internally for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Even though Raffel was a Democrat and Hillary Clinton supporter, White House staff (including some Trump originals) told me they were surprised how quickly they grew to like and trust him.
One White House official told me that when there’s a crisis “we call Josh.” The official said he didn’t envy Raffel because “he is always handling the worst stories.”
This is a huge loss to the White House crisis communications team. If Raffel is as adept as the report says he is, this won’t be good for the future, especially when it’s expected attacks on the Trump Administration will increase.
Of all the departments within the White House, the communications team, it would seem, has suffered from the most turmoil. Everyone remembers the short-lived stint of former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who unceremoniously was relieved of his position after leaving an expletive-laced rant on a reporter’s voicemail.
Then there was Sean Spicer, the bumbling press secretary who was the subject of many a joke on late-night television. Spicer left the White House last summer after a kerfuffle over leadership.
This kind of high-profile turnover isn’t good for a White House that’s constantly embroiled in scandal, and is a constant target by a vindictive media.
Let’s hope Raffel’s departure isn’t too big of a blow for the Trump Administration.
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