A top White House aide is leaving her post as deputy chief of staff in the first major shakeup of the Trump administration.
Katie Walsh, who was previously Reince Priebus’ chief of staff at the Republican National Committee, will serve as an adviser to America First, a group outside the government that aims to bolster the Trump agenda and will also serve on the RNC.
A White House official confirmed the move and said, “Katie Walsh has accepted a position with an outside organization. She has been a tremendous asset to the President and we are confident she will be so in her new role as well.”
Walsh’s move comes on the 70th day of the Trump administration and a week after its first legislative agenda item, repealing and replacing ObamaCare, went down in Congress without even a vote.
The Trump administration not only failed to get any legislative accomplishments in its first two months in office, it has suffered setbacks elsewhere as well.
Executive orders mandating temporary and limited travel bans have been halted by several courts.
In a meeting with reporters shortly after news broke, top White House officials, Jared Kushner, Priebus and Steve Bannon, insisted Walsh had not been pushed out — and that her work at the outside group would be important for the president’s agenda.
Walsh’s fiancé, Mike Shields, weighed in on her departure on Twitter.
“Yes-Katie asked to provide badly needed air cover for the President’s agenda, per Reince/Bannon/Jared! Will work with @AmericaFirstPol,” said Shields.