A senior member of President Joe Biden’s communications team will depart their role in the coming weeks, CNN first reported Monday.
Mariel Saez, the White House director of broadcast media, will reportedly leave her government position as the director of broadcast media to start a job in the private sector. She assumed her role in the Biden administration on Inauguration Day in 2021.
“It has been an honor to serve the President as Director of Broadcast Media, and I am grateful to my talented and dedicated colleagues at the White House and across the Administration who worked hand-in-hand with me to communicate the President’s priorities across broadcast media,” Saez wrote in a statement published by CNN.
“Several White House officials have told CNN there’s an expectation there will be more departures in the weeks ahead, likely after Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1,” CNN noted in their report, adding that there’s no indication that other members of Biden’s senior team are on the way out.
CNN stated that the staff turnover in Biden’s first year marked one of the lowest of the past six presidential administrations. Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, on the other hand, has seen several departures since the administration took office.
The New York Post noted that Harris “has seen at least eight key members of her staff walk out the door since last summer – including director of digital strategies Rajun Kaur, director of advance Karly Satkowiak, deputy director of advance Gabrielle DeFranceschi, communications director Ashley Etienne, chief spokesperson Symone Sanders, director of press operations Peter Velz, deputy director of public engagement Vince Evans, and speechwriting director Kate Childs Graham.”
“While Harris has received anonymously sourced criticism over poor work environments and alleged mistreatment of staff, Biden has kept the faith in his team, telling reporters in January that he is ‘satisfied’ with his staff,” The New York Post reported.