White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving her position at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Thursday.
"After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas," Trump tweeted. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!"
Sanders was the third woman to hold the position. During her tenure, the traditional daily press briefing gradually became rarer than once-a-month events to the chagrin of the White House press corps. The last briefing was on March 11.
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Sanders, who took over the position from Sean Spicer after he departed in July 2017, is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. She served as a spokesman for Trump's campaign after her father suspended his presidential bid.
She came under fire upon the release of the Robert Mueller report for admitting she made a baseless claim that "countless" law enforcement officials had lost faith in former FBI Director James Comey.
"I said the ‘slip of the tongue’ was in using the word ‘countless,’" Sanders said when challenged by ABC News. "But there were a number of FBI, both former and current, that agreed with the president’s decision."
Sanders was asked to leave by The Red Hen, a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, last year, because of her defense of Trump policies.