Ex-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre left Democratic Party, publisher of her book says

By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has a book out this fall that promises a close look at President Biden’s decision not to run for reelection and calls for thinking beyond the two-party system.

Jean-Pierre herself has switched her affiliation to independent after working in two Democratic administrations, according to Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint that will publish “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines” on Oct. 21.

“Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States,” Jean-Pierre, the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position of White House press secretary, said in a statement released Wednesday.

“At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country. I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically.”

Jean-Pierre, 50, succeeded Jen Psaki as press secretary in 2022 after previously serving as deputy press secretary and also working as a senior adviser during Biden’s victorious 2020 campaign. During President Barack Obama’s first term, she was a regional political director.

Jean-Pierre was criticized at times for being evasive about Biden’s physical condition. Wednesday’s announcement from Legacy Lit says that she will take readers “through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.”

“She presents clear arguments and provocative evidence as an insider about the importance of dismantling the torrent of disinformation and misinformation that has been rampant in recent elections and provides passionate insight for moving forward,” the announcement said.

Jean-Pierre’s book could be one of the few by former White House press secretaries to make news. Scott McLellan, President George W. Bush’s press secretary from 2003-2006, made headlines when he criticized Bush and other administration officials in the 2008 bestseller “What Happened.”