Longtime Biden aide Anita Dunn departing the White House
In this July 2021 photo
By Donald Judd, Kayla Tausche and MJ Lee, CNN
(CNN) — Longtime Biden aide Anita Dunn is leaving the White House next week, according to a source familiar, and joining a super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
This marks the first big departure from the White House in the wake of President Joe Biden’s decision to step down from the 2024 Democratic ticket.
Biden thanked Dunn for her work at the White House in a statement Tuesday, calling her “an invaluable part of our White House.”
Dunn is departing the White House to serve as a senior adviser to Future Forward and Future Forward USA Action.
The Washington Post first reported her departure.
“She’s tough and tested, and her experience and intellect have helped us deliver historic results for the American people,” Biden said. “I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months.”
Dunn called it an “an honor and privilege to serve in this White House” in a statement to CNN. “I am grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for their leadership and giving me the opportunity to be part of what they have accomplished for the American people.”
Dunn spent much of the Biden administration as one of the president’s closest advisers. However, as Biden mulled departing the 2024 race earlier this month, CNN reported that Dunn was “left in the dark until minutes before he posted his announcement on social media.” Dunn and her husband, Bob Bauer, were among Biden’s debate prep team and had faced the ire of the president’s family in the aftermath of the performance.
Lorraine Voles, Harris’ chief of staff, praised Dunn in a statement on Tuesday, writing, “As she has throughout her influential and consequential career, Anita has served the President and the Vice President with distinction. She gives her all every day, and is a valued colleague to me and so many others on these 18 acres.”
Chauncey McLean, president of Future Forward, called Dunn “a great asset as we work to elect Kamala Harris and defeat Donald Trump once and for all.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
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