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Obama Just Announced His Top Spokesman Is Resigning

Hunter Walker,Brett LoGiurato,Colin CampbellMay 30, 2014, 23:29 IST

screengrab via whitehouse.gov

President Barack Obama dropped a major bombshell on Friday. He announced White House Press Secretary Jay Carney will be resigning in a surprise press briefing appearance. In his remarks, Obama called Carney "one of my closest friends in Washington."

"I'm going to miss him a lot," Obama said of Carney. "I'm going to continue rely on him as a friend and advisor."

Carney was previously director of communications for Vice President Joe Biden. He became White House press secretary in early 2011. Before going to work for Biden, Carney was Washington bureau chief of Time Magazine.

Carney will be replaced by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest. Obama described Earnest as "honest and full of integrity."

"I am sure at some point you will get frustrated with him," Obama quipped about Earnest.

Carney and Earnest did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Carney spoke at the press briefing

More to come...