Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max The comms specialists inside the White House are facing second-guessing for the way they communicated the recent shakeup at the White House communications shop. Not even a week into press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE’s time at the lectern, the White House brought in her Pentagon counterpart JOHN KIRBY, a runner-up for the podium, for a communications role. The move roiled the White House’s already delicate internal politics. For about 24 hours, no one at the White House could answer whether Kirby would be working at the National Security Council or the press office and how often he would be appearing at the podium, if at all. Several White House officials and insiders told West Wing Playbook that they felt the move put a damper on Jean-Pierre’s first week, and undercut her credibility at a moment when conservative media has targeted her. "There are people in the White House who feel that the timing of Kirby's hiring demonstrates that White House leadership believes that the first African American White House press secretary needs ‘adult supervision,’” one Democratic source familiar with dynamics in the White House and on Capitol Hill told West Wing Playbook, calling the move “demeaning,” and “insulting.” The source added that some Democratic lawmakers also expressed frustration with the White House announcement of Jean-Pierre’s promotion because it included news that ANITA DUNN would be returning to the White House in a senior adviser role — an inclusion that, for them, left an impression that Jean-Pierre needed oversight. But a Democratic lobbyist countered that Dunn is viewed by many in the party as being in another realm, given her history with Biden and didn’t see it as a slight to Jean-Pierre. The White House pushed back on the characterization of events, with a spokesperson saying: “If that is the case, that’s news to the press team and we completely disagree.” Senior staff supported Kirby’s elevation and one person with knowledge said that chief of staff RON KLAIN was a fan of the former Pentagon spokesperson’s poise during media availabilities. In theory, the move was meant to add a strong foreign policy voice at a moment when crises abroad occupy a huge portion of the president’s time. Kirby’s experience in the Pentagon, and the State Department, and his strong relationships with many reporters and broadcast network higher-ups serve as useful tools for a White House fielding numerous thorny foreign policy questions every day ( not to mention Kirby is the rare Biden official with good relationships with Fox News executives). The announcement of Kirby’s new gig came after weeks of speculation, sparked in part by him being spotted at the White House repeatedly and even visiting the briefing room, a notable appearance given the Pentagon spokesperson was not a frequent visitor to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in JOE BIDEN ’s first year in office. The timing of the announcement was, however, difficult to nail down as Kirby was preoccupied with responsibilities at the Pentagon and press reports about his potential hiring by the White House forced the administration’s hand. In addition, there was confusion over what exactly Kirby would do in the White House. Another person familiar with the discussions told West Wing Playbook that there was some initial debate about Kirby’s title and which White House official he would report to. There were also discussions about whether he would have the responsibilities and receive the same title held by BEN RHODES, former deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting. Ultimately, they tried to find a middle ground. One White House source said some reservations from other National Security Council officials helped the team settle on the coordinator title instead of Rhodes’ deputy title. The White House also eventually announced that Kirby would sometimes brief at the podium “as appropriate.” “The thing about describing models like that — the Ben Rhodes model — they tend to be unique to an individual,” JAKE SULLIVAN told reporters on Air Force One Sunday. “John Kirby will have the John Kirby model of the role of coordinator for strategic communications at the NSC.” TEXT US — ARE YOU BEN RHODES? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
| 
