WASHINGTON — The White House announced Friday that Ben Rabolt, a former spokesman for Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, will become President Biden’s new communications director as Kate Bedingfield resigns.
Bedingfield, 41, announced his resignation last year, giving the Wall Street Journal a scoop to irritate some reporters and sabotage others who got wind of it.
LaBolt, also 41, is a Washington, D.C. politician who worked in Barack Obama’s Senate office and presidential campaign before following President Obama to the White House in 2009, where he held a brief stint as assistant press secretary. I served.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked mostly in the private sector since 2013, with clients including Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
Rabolt, who serves as a spokesman for the Zuckerberg-Chan family, helped the billionaire manage a backlash from supporters of former President Donald Trump in 2020. COVID-19 Pandemic.
Republicans blamed these donations for allegedly swinging the election against Biden in battleground states, but Rabolt countered that more offices in Republican-leaning areas had applied for and received the funds.
Known for not being afraid to demand corrections to articles, Rabolt is likely to bring a more aggressive style than Bedingfield. The job of press secretary went to Carine Jean-Pierre.
Rabolt’s rise comes as the White House takes a more aggressive stance against Republicans who regained power in the House of Representatives last month.
Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Biden who returned to the West Wing last May, is believed to be the current driving force behind the White House message. Director and married to Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal attorney in special counsel Robert Herr’s investigation.
Rabolt joins the staff while Ian Samms, the newly empowered spokesman for the White House attorney’s office, offers sharp criticism to refute the House Republican-led surveillance investigation. Especially in infrastructure investment. This shows what observers see as an influence for Dunn.
In contrast to the relative takeover approach so far under the Biden administration, the White House Communications Office under former President Donald Trump has provided relevant information to reporters, relayed messages to senior officials, and proactively supplemented the press secretary by going “off the record”. Calls to condemn journalists for poorly positive coverage.
Biden praised both Bedingfield and LaBolt, noting that incoming communications directors worked last year to help confirm Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson.LaBolt is also gay. The administration noted that he would be the first White House communications director to publicly disclose that.
“Kate has been a loyal and trusted advisor since I was vice president,” Biden said.
“Ben has big shoes to fill. We look forward to welcoming you.”
Biden said, “I saw him fight for Justice Jackson. He did everything in his power to make history confirming candidates for Cabinet and Deputy Cabinet. He will join this team again.” I am proud of it.”
