After three and a half years as White House press secretary, Jay Carney presided over his final press briefing this afternoon, calling his time in the role an “extraordinarily gratifying” experience.
“I have loved every minute of every day, even the many minutes of many days I spent in this room,” Carney said. “As I think most of you now understand and believe, it’s always a pleasure no matter how hard it can get in here, no matter how hot it can be and contentious it sometimes is.”
“The press secretary is in a unique position within a White House. And not just because I’m a former journalist, because I think every press secretary understood this and understands it: we work to promote what the President is doing and the message he’s trying to convey to the American people,” Carney told reporters. “But I also work with the press to try to help you do your jobs, to help you cover the White House, cover the administration, and report on what we’re doing here. And that is what I’ve tried to do, and you’ll be the judge of my success, at least in part.”
No word yet on the next steps for Carney, who is married to ABC News correspondent Claire Shipman.
Carney will be replaced by deputy press secretary Josh Earnest, who has worked with President Obama since the 2008 campaign.