Raj Shah, deputy chief of staff for House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s communications, is set to leave his role. While a date is yet to be confirmed, a source told CNN that Shah will exit Capitol Hill before the end of the Summer. The famed Trump ally is not the only one resigning, as three other policy staffers are also leaving Johnson’s office.
Who is Raj Shah?
The 40-year-old emerged as a top Republican official under the Trump administration. Prior to his role as deputy chief of staff, Shah served as the White House deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to the president from 2017 to 2019.
Following his exit from the White House in 2019, Shah joined Fox Corporation as senior vice president. During his time at the network, Shah helped establish a pro-Trump direction at Fox after the 2020 elections.
Raj Shah to exit Capitol Hill
Announcing his exit on Wednesday, Shah said in a statement, “It’s an honor to serve Speaker Johnson, especially through such an historic time.” “He has shown tremendous leadership navigating the conference through difficult issues. Speaker Johnson has developed an authentic brand of a strong leader willing to make tough calls and place our nation and the institution first,” he added, per Axios.
Who else is quitting Johnson’s office?
Shah’s exit comes amid a trio of policy staffers- Brittan Specht, Jason Yaworske, and Preston Hill announced their decision to step down. They also worked for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before his historic ousting. The outlet adds that the trio are now headed to start at Michael Best Strategies.
While several sources called the mass exits “unsurprising,” others argued they expected it to happen a lot sooner. Meanwhile, Johnson’s office told the outlet that Meredith Schellin is to serve as their new digital director.