Sarah Huckabee Sanders Is The New White House Press Secretary

She'll replace Sean Spicer, who resigned on Friday.
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders will replace Sean Spicer as White House press secretary.

Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, announced Sanders’ promotion during Friday’s press briefing ― the first on-camera briefing in weeks.

Sanders, who had served as principal deputy press secretary, frequently substituted for Spicer during daily briefings since May.

Spicer announced earlier Friday he would leave his post at the White House. He reportedly resigned after voicing opposition to Scaramucci’s appointment.

Sanders briefly discussed Spicer’s departure during Friday’s briefing, but declined to provide details.

“I can say that he understood that the president wanted to bring in and add new people to the team, and Sean felt like it would be best for that team to be able to start with a totally clean slate,” she said.

Scaramucci thanked Spicer for his work in the White House, and said he hoped the outgoing press secretary “goes on to make a tremendous amount of money.”

Scaramucci repeatedly praised Trump’s leadership, and said the president is the administration’s most effective communicator.

“He’s got some of the best political instincts in the world,” Scaramucci said of his new boss.

Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, joined Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign after her father ended his run for the GOP nomination, and was named a member of the White House communications office shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January. Prior to the 2016 election, Sanders worked on several GOP political campaigns.

Sanders has frequently clashed with reporters during briefings.

In one memorable exchange, she sparred with a reporter over what she described as “the constant barrage of fake news” about the president. The reporter challenged her rhetoric, and accused her of inflaming anti-media sentiment.

Sanders also has faced criticism from reporters. The press office has banned live audio and video coverage of the daily briefings, raising questions about White House commitment to transparency. Earlier this week, a reporter defied the ban, livestreaming audio of Sanders’ briefing via Periscope.

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