The White House announced Thursday two additions to its press office, including one official leaving Vice President Kamala Harris’ team.
Harris’ senior advisor for communications Herbie Ziskend is becoming deputy communications director for the White House.
Kate Berner will be deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy communications director.
Director of Communications and Spokesperson of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) Olivia Dalton has been appointed as the White House’s deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary.
“Olivia returns to the White House after serving as the Director of Communications and Spokesperson at USUN and after a detail last year running communications and engagement for Operation Allies Welcome, the historic effort to resettle an unprecedented number of Afghan refugees across the United States,” the White House announced in a Thursday memo.
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Dalton’s promotion fills the slot left by press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre after entering her current role.
“[Dalton] also served as Communications Director on the Confirmations Team during the Biden-Harris transition and as Senior VP of Communications and Marketing at the Human Rights Council. She also has long ties to Bidenworld, having served as a press aide to then-Senator Biden and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” the White House wrote.
Additionally, Dalton served as deputy press secretary for Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign in Iowa.
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Ziskend will continue serving in his other role as special assistant to the president.
“In this role, he will focus on strategic messaging for the President’s events and interviews, and help to coordinate day-to-day communications strategy across the White House and the Administration,” the White House wrote.
The new appointments may be an attempt by the White House to strengthen its press department, which has stumbled repeatedly since the departure of former press secretary Jen Psaki.
Jean-Pierre has been criticized during her first few months at the podium, as her “unforced stumbles” and tendency to stick to the binder have been put under a microscope.
Jean-Pierre has been the subject of negative attention from both onlookers and reporters she works with.
In June, Politico’s West Wing Playbook declared she’d suffered “unforced stumbles” and private “grumbles” from reporters, owing to her tendency to stick to the binder and deliver talking points rather than impromptu exchanges with the press.
