WASHINGTON (CNN) — Arkansas native Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been named the new White House Press Secretary on Friday (July 21) following the resignation of Sean Spicer.
Spicer’s resignation came after New York financier and former Trump campaign fundraiser Anthony Scaramucci accepted the position as White House communications director.
On Friday afternoon, Scaramucci made the announcement naming Sanders to the position. Sanders is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
A White House official and top GOP adviser said President Donald Trump asked Spicer to stay on, but he resigned.
President Donald Trump wished Spicer well in a statement Sanders delivered from the White House briefing room and noted Spicer’s “great television ratings” during his time behind the podium. Trump also called Scaramucci “an important addition to this administration” in a statement also read by Sanders.
Spicer handled the responsibilities of both press secretary and communications director during much of his tenure, overseeing the White House’s response to a near non-stop deluge of controversy, particularly concerning the widening federal investigation into potential ties between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials.
Scaramucci’s hiring began to come together Thursday night, but as news of the hire began to leak, Spicer, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon found themselves largely in the dark — unaware of the President’s already firm intention to tap Scaramucci for the top communications post, according to a source familiar with Spicer’s thinking.
