Conant Leaving RNC Friday
The Republican National Committee’s remaining spokesman, Alex Conant — the organization’s chief mouthpiece during the tumultuous first month of new chairman Michael Steele — will depart the committee this Friday, as planned.
Conant, known among reporters for prolific e-mailing capabilities, was one of a handful of employees carried over from the previous administration of RNC Chairman Mike Duncan during the transition of power. After Steele was elected at the end of January, the former Maryland lieutenant governor asked for every staff member’s resignation in what he called an effort to reorganize the entire operation.
Conant, however, agreed to stay on for a month after the purge of staffers. The former White House staffer reports that even though he’ll leave the building, he will stay on as a senior advisor to the RNC. In the meantime, Conant said in an e-mail he plans to take some time to “reflect and rest,— plus complete some writing and consulting.
Steele has come under fire privately within GOP circles for the slow pace of his effort to rebuild the massive RNC operation. Steele formed a transition team to review every division within the RNC to determine if it should be reorganized for better efficiency or eliminated altogether.
Senior staff are expected to be announced and in place by late this month or early next month.