White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is reportedly planning to leave her role within the Biden administration for MSNBC this spring.
Psaki is in exclusive talks to join the TV network after her planned departure around May, a source with knowledge on the matter told on Friday morning. The deal is apparently close to being finalized.
She will reportedly host a show for MSNBC on Peacock, which is NBCUniversal’s streaming service, as well as appear on different shows on MSNBC’s live cable network. Psaki will not host the 9pm slot replacing Rachel Maddow, as had been speculated, according to Axios.
There had been speculation for weeks that Psaki would leave the White House for a position in television, as multiple communications staff have in the past.
Psaki has been consulting closely with the White House counsel’s office about leaving her post, two sources told Axios. Government ethics rules have regulations on official employees seeking jobs in the private sector while they are still serving. MSNBC has also been working with its compliance lawyers to ensure that its conversations with Psaki di not violate government rules, a source said.
Psaki has reportedly not signed any contracts, or formally told her team at the White House of her planned departure.
Her potential deal is apparently similar to Symone Sanders’, a former spokesperson and adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris. Sanders in January inked a deal with MSNBC for her show Symone on Peacock and to take part in the network’s live programming.
Psaki spoke with CNN and other networks last month, according to Puck, before appearing to come close to joining MSNBC.
She has recently been absent from White House press briefings after contracting the coronavirus for a second time last week, just before President Joe Biden’s Europe trip for talks on the Russia-Ukraine war. Psaki held her first briefing since catching Covid-19 on Friday afternoon.
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