An Obama-era holdover who helped President Joe Biden with his debate preparations made a telling move as she departed her current White House gig.
With a swamp career dating back to the Carter administration where she’d served as an intern, Senior Advisor Anita Dunn’s exit from the Biden White House was announced Tuesday. Fawning remarks belied reports on the climate in the West Wing as the political strategist set off the join a super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ own White House bid.
Set to join the Future Forward political action committee in an unspecified role, a report from Fox News suggested there had been considerable tension for Dunn who had been part of the team preparing Biden at Camp David in the days before the debate, considered to be the tipping point toward his campaign suspension.
“Source told Fox News that Dunn was effectively exiled from Biden’s inner circle in the days and weeks following his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump in June. Dunn played a heavy role in preparing Biden for that showdown,” detailed Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
It was also reported that Dunn, once communications director for then-President Barack Obama, and husband Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal attorney, had a “long-standing rift” with the president’s scandal-ridden son, Hunter Biden, having encouraged the incumbent to keep the legal issues away from his administration.
“Dunn’s departure is being quietly celebrated by some Biden-Harris administration staffers who have had frosty relations with her throughout her tenure,” Heinrich added per sources. “The sources suggested staffers believe Dunn was behind a series of leaks…”
Those leaks were said to include one regarding an attempted ousting of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as well as about Hunter Biden’s involvement in meetings amid calls for the president to end his re-election bid.
Statements from Biden, Dunn, and the president’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, remained positive as the former said, “Four years ago when I launched my campaign for the battle for the soul of our nation, I was grateful Anita Dunn was right there with me.”
“I’ve known Anita throughout my career. She’s served our nation through three Administrations and countless campaigns for candidates at every level,” Biden’s statement continued. “She’s not only a key senior member of our team that helped us win a historic election in 2020 — she’s also been an invaluable part of our White House. She’s tough and tested, and her experience and intellect have helped us deliver historic results for the American people.”
“I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months,” he added while Dunn said, “It’s been an honor and privilege to serve in this White House, with this President and this team, during this transformational term. I am grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for their leadership and giving me the opportunity to be part of what they have accomplished for the American people.”
BREAKING: Anita Dunn is leaving the White House, heading to Future Forward to support Harris campaign. Dunn was the architect of much of Biden’s strategy.
President Biden: “Four years ago, when I launched my campaign for the battle for the soul of our nation, I was grateful…
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 30, 2024
Meanwhile, Zients went on record to express, “The President and the entire team turn to Anita for her always insightful counsel, decisiveness, and unparalleled experience every single day. She has been critical to making this one of the most successful presidencies in modern American history.”
Heinrich indicated other sources decried suggestions that Dunn played a role in recent leaks as some informed Fox News that the president’s son had been encouraging the commander-in-chief to send her packing.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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