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US-GOVERNMENT-POLITICS-SPOKESMAN
A White House spokesman quits to join lobbyists
WASHINGTON, Jan 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A White House deputy spokesman who had
been tasked with announcing the departure of officials in President Donald
Trump’s administration has himself become the latest to move on.
Raj Shah is leaving and will become a partner at Ballard Media Group, the
communications arm of US lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which lists clients
including the Gulf emirate of Qatar, Turkey’s Halkbank and the Republic of
Mali, the firm announced.
Trump’s administration has been marked by a hemorrhage of cabinet members
and top advisors, including Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, chief of staff
John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The list is long.
Shah will lead the new Ballard Media Group with James Rubin, who was State
Department spokesman during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
In a statement from Ballard announcing his appointment, Shah said he was
excited by the opportunity.
Shah had been with Trump’s team since the president’s inauguration in
January 2017, and sometimes handled journalist’s questions at press
conferences.
Ballard Partners said Shah “oversaw strategy and communications” for the
White House’s ultimately successful effort to confirm Trump’s conservative
pick Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Along with cabinet members and advisors, Trump’s communication team has
also seen turnover. Sean Spicer was replaced as spokesman in July 2017 by
Sarah Sanders, who remains, and communications director Hope Hicks, Trump’s
top aide, resigned last February.
BSS/AFP/MR/1128 hrs