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 RACHEL CARMONA was not thrilled when she saw the statement over the weekend from outgoing White House communications director KATE BEDINGFIELD (yes, that statement). In a story Saturday in The Washington Post, Bedingfield, commenting on criticisms over the White House’s response to the fall of Roe, said President JOE BIDEN’s job was “not to satisfy some activists who have been consistently out of step with the mainstream of the Democratic Party. It’s to deliver help to women who are in danger and assemble a broad-based coalition to defend a woman’s right to choose now.” The line infuriated liberal activists including Carmona, the executive director of the Women’s March, who was at an event outside the White House on Saturday when she saw it. “The people calling for him to be aggressive aren’t 'a handful of out of step activists,'” she told us. “It’s unfortunate that the president seems to have surrounded himself with staff that doesn’t fully appreciate that. There are going to be protests all summer. The White House needs to decide if they’re going to be the target, or the champion of them." The parting shot by Bedingfield, who is set to leave the White House in the coming days, was a return to a posture familiar for Bidenworld, one honed during the dark days of the 2020 presidential primary campaign. Counted out by pundits and under attack from people in his own party, Biden’s team hunkered down and insisted he’d defy his critics. Many current and former Biden staff feel they’re in the same spot now, with the president once again facing attacks from the press and left-y activists who, they believe, receive outsized attention from the media. Less clear is whether that combative approach is coming to an end with Bedingfield’s departure or being retooled ahead of the midterms. Some inside the White House feel the communications team is still fighting the 2020 primary rather than adapting to a new environment whereas others think the White House should more often push back against left-wing activists rather than trying to satisfy the unsatisfiable. One complaint from some White House staffers is that the comms team is too reactive and defensive, and has not been motivated by an overarching strategy as a result. Others hope that ANITA DUNN will take the opportunity with the vacancies to implement a broader restructuring of the comms shop, though it’s unclear what that would look like (Our DMs are, as always, open). As West Wing Playbook previously reported, many current and former officials believe the strongest internal Biden administration candidate to replace Bedingfield is LIZ ALLEN . The State Department’s senior official for public diplomacy and public affairs is well-liked and respected within the administration, and was floated during the transition as a possible White House staff addition. Other internal names that have been floated are deputy assistant to the president and communications director for the first lady ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, deputy White House communications director KATE BERNER, and former Biden hand KENDRA BARKOFF. A key vacancy also remains in the deputy White House communications director slot, empty since KARINE JEAN-PIERRE succeeded JEN PSAKI as press secretary earlier this year. The White House has taken its time finding a replacement, though some internal and external candidates have interviewed for the role in recent weeks. While the White House could seek an outside candidate, many Bidenworld figures have felt the job should go to ANDREW BATES, who has earned goodwill for his work since Biden launched his 2020 campaign. While the White House could seek an outside candidate, many Bidenworld figures have felt the job should go to ANDREW BATES , who has earned goodwill from working nearly ceaselessly since Biden launched his 2020 campaign. He has also often been the person the Biden campaign and White House turned to on sensitive stories about the president’s family (many of which revolve around HUNTER BIDEN, who is set to be a major topic of congressional investigations should Republicans take over a branch of Congress). White House officials think that much of the staff turnover is likely slowing down. According to a senior official, White House chief of staff RON KLAIN asked staff to notify leadership by July 4th if they were staying or going, so they could organize Biden’s senior team and work out transition periods well ahead of the midterms. The White House has already brought in several new staffers to fill other vacancies, recruiting RACHEL THOMAS from the Department of Education, and bringing in assistant press secretaries ALEXANDRA LAMANNA and ABDULLAH HASAN. The White House has occasionally canvassed around for other outside help, and has continued to bring in some high-profile outside advisors from the Obama days. One such person is BEN LABOLT. Multiple sources told West Wing Playbook that the White House has repeatedly reached out to the Obama alum and Dem comms specialist about a job, though he’s unlikely to take one. LaBolt garnered goodwill over his work helping to get KETANJI BROWN JACKSON confirmed to the Supreme Court. TEXT US — Are you RAQUEL FOSSETT , director of the White House’s internship program? We want to hear from you! And we’ll keep you anonymous if you’d like. 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 or you can text/Signal/Wickr Alex at 8183240098.
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