Two White House press office staffers are leaving their positions for other jobs within the Biden administration.
The Hill reported Wednesday that Vedant Patel, who has served as an assistant press secretary since Biden took office, will assume a new role at the Department of State. Amanda Finney, the chief of staff in the White House press office, will take a new role in the Department of Energy.
The Hill noted that Finney worked closely with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who recently left her role and joined MSNBC.
This news comes after a report from Politico this week that explained how several black White House staffers have left their roles or plan to leave soon due to “a work environment with little support from their superiors and fewer chances for promotion.”
In December, Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior adviser and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders left for a job at MSNBC. Other Harris staffers, including Tina Flournoy, Ashley Etienne and Vincent Evans have left.
“The exodus has raised concerns among outside observers who push for the diversification of government ranks,” Politico noted. An unnamed White House official pushed back on the concerns saying that the White House staffers who identify as black are in line with national proportions.
“The president is incredibly proud to have built what continues to be the most diverse White House staff in history, and he is committed to continuing historic representation for black staff and all communities,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “This is a normal time for turnover across the board in any administration and black staff have been promoted at a higher rate than staff who are not diverse.”
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