White House press secretary Sean Spicer is rumored to be seeking a more strategic role that would give him a limited presence in the daily White House press briefings.
Four insiders, including a senior administration official, said he has reached out to possible successors, at the podium and as communications director. However, those who commented remained anonymous and will do until internal deliberations have ceased and a final decision has been agreed upon.
"We have sought input from many people as we look to expand our communications operation," said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a deputy White House press secretary.
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"As he did in the beginning, Sean Spicer is managing both the communications and press office."
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She refused to make any other comments about the potential changes within the administration.
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Spicer's role has already reduced quite significantly in recent weeks, with the White House increasingly tapping up cabinet officials to speak to reporters on camera.
The current White House press secretary is said to be leading the hunt for his replacement and has already approached Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham about the role, as well as the Daily Mail's US political editor David Martosko with regards to senior communication jobs, according to a White House official.
Spicer's briefings have been widely commented upon due to his fiery delivery, but have also made him a figure of ridicule among comedians and the general public.
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He has made several gaffes during speeches that have caused him to hit the headlines - particularly in April this year, after claiming that the Nazis 'didn't sink to using chemical weapons' in World War Two, while discussing Assad and the conflict in Syria.
Mr. Spicer said during the briefing: "We didn't use chemical weapons in World War Two, you know, you had someone as despicable as Hitler, who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons.
"So you have to, if you're Russia, ask yourself: is this a country, and a regime, that you want to align yourself with?"
It was later pointed out that the Nazis had in fact used chemical weapons during the Holocaust, forcing Spicer to issue an apology the following day.
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"I was obviously trying to make a point about the heinous acts that Assad had made against his own people last week, using chemical weapons and gas. Frankly, I mistakenly made an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which there is no comparison," Spicer said in an interview on CNN.
"And for that I apologize. It was a mistake to do that."
Source: the Independent
Featured Image Credit: PA