Trump Staffer Responsible For Finding Positive News Stories Resigns

As director of rapid response, Andy Hemming was tasked with recirculating positive news to journalists.
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President Donald Trump’s administration parted ways with yet another staffer this week.

Politico reported Thursday that Andy Hemming resigned from his position as the White House communications team’s director of rapid response on Monday.

The 31-year-old former Republican National Committee staffer, who was profiled by Politico’s Annie Karni this month, was responsible for finding positive mainstream media news stories about the Trump administration and recirculating those reports to key reporters and talking heads. Hemming’s goal was to ultimately create more mainstream coverage about positive moments for the Trump administration on the very networks the president routinely bashes and refers to as “fake news,” according to Karni’s piece.

Every presidential administration has staffers dedicated to monitoring the press and pushing out stories related to favorable moments. But Trump’s relationship with the press and responses to news coverage is unprecedented. For instance, Vice News reported this month that the president receives a folder filled with positive news about himself twice a day ― a report previous presidents apparently did not receive.

Hemming’s role in the administration was a bizarre one, considering his boss regularly picks public feuds with journalists and mainstream news outlets he was required to target with positive stories.

Just this week, Trump spent a considerable amount of time trashing the media during his campaign rally in Phoenix a rant that resulted in the crowd chanting “CNN sucks.”

Hemming has not publicly commented on his exit, but a White House source told CNN that the decision to part ways was mutual.

The departure is the latest in a summer filled with staff shake-ups. In July, press secretary Sean Spicer resigned just before communications director Anthony Scaramucci was hired. Then Reince Priebus left his position as White House chief of staff, days before Scaramucci was shown to the door. Last week, Steve Bannon stepped down as White House chief strategist.

Meanwhile, several Trump administration advisers have parted ways with the president over his controversial response to a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this month.

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