White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Resigns: Have Latinos Shaped White House Communications?
UPDATE: June 3, 9:50 a.m. EST - White House Director of Hispanic Media Katherine Vargas provided additional names of Latino professionals in communication roles for and outside the White House, including, Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Communications Director Rafael Lemaitre, Department of Labor Press Secretary Xochitl Hinojosa, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Press Secretary Marsha Catron, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Press Secretary Barbara Gonzalez, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications Edna Ruano, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Director of Public Engagement Teresa Niño, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Director of Public Health Policy Mayra Alvarez, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Deputy Press Secretary George Gonzalez, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Press Secretary Al Bentancourt, and General Services Administration (GSA) Communication Director Betsaida Alcantara.
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President Barack Obama will have a third press secretary during this second term in office, after the resignation of Jay Carney, and his successor will continue the tradition of non-Hispanic press secretaries.
Carney, a former Time magazine journalist, announced his resignation as White House press secretary on May 30. The deputy press secretary, Josh Earnest, will replace him. Carney served the longest term as President Obama's press secretary, from 2011-2014, compared to the two years served by predecessor Robert Gibbs.
According to Obama, Carney notified the president of his intentions to resign in April.
"I was not thrilled, to say the least," Obama said.
"Jay has become one of my closest friends and is a great Press Secretary and a great adviser," Obama said during the daily press briefing on Friday. "He's got good judgment. He has a good temperament. And he's got a good heart. And I'm going to miss him a lot. I will continue to rely on him as a friend and adviser after he leaves to spend as much of the summer as he can with his kids before he decides what's next for him. Whatever it is, I know he's going to be outstanding at it."
Obama's selection of Earnest might have been an easy choice. Earnest served as Obama's Iowa communications director during the Iowa caucuses.
"[Earnest] is of sound judgment and great temperament," said Obama. "He is honest and full of integrity. And I'm sure you will at some point get frustrated with him as well, but it's going to be hard because he's a straight shooter and a great guy."
Carney, however, will officially step down some time in June.
The first White House press secretary dates back to 1929. Since then, white men have mainly held the role. Two women, however, have served the position — Dee Dee Myers for Bill Clinton, 1993-1994, and Dana Perino for George W. Bush, 2007-2009.
According to the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, 29 Latinos hold appointed positions in the White House — not including two for the Office of the First Lady — but only a few roles are related to communications.
When it comes to other press secretary roles in the White House, the NHLA noted one Latina holds the position. Nathaly Arriola is the press secretary for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and previously served as deputy press secretary for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In additon, Miguel Ayala is the deputy associate director for communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and was previously deputy press secretary for Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
The White House also has its own director of Hispanic media. Tasked to engage with the Hispanic media and coordinate with all federal agencies on behalf of Obama's efforts with the Hispanic community, Katherine Vargas is the director of Hispanic media.
Emails to the White House's press office and Hispanic Issues Outreach Team were not immediately returned.
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