White House communications director Mike Dubke has resigned after only three months on the job.

Dubke told POLITICO newspaper that he submitted his resignation on May 18, which was accepted by President Donald Trump, but offered to stay on the job through Trump's recently completed overseas trip.

No reason was given for the move. </s> White House communications director Michael Dubke has resigned. Dubke offered his resignation on May 18th, prior to the president's overseas trip to the Middle East and Europe. He is still working at the White House and has not set a departure date yet.

Dubke, 47, had been a behind the scenes player, who helped manage the White House communications strategy, including the aftermath of President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. Before joining the White House in February, he had been a Republican strategist, and founder of Crossroads Media.

Dubke's resignation could be the forerunner of a larger staff shake up in the administration. Reports have circulated that Trump may bring in trusted former aides including one time campaign manager Cory Lewandowski and David Bosse, as the White House struggles to deal with an FBI investigation into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia.

The latest twist involves the President's son-in-law, and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who reportedly tried to set up back channel contacts between the Trump team and Moscow.

Trump is also struggling with his legislative agenda.

Among the changes reportedly being contemplated is a diminished role for White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, including fewer televised briefings.

But the challenges any White House communications team will face were made evident when the President took to Twitter Tuesday morning, targeting NATO ally Germany:



"We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change."



And once again Trump implied the Russia investigation was nothing but an attempt by Democrats to change the subject from their defeat in November:



"Russian officials must be laughing at the U.S. & how a lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election has taken over the Fake News," Trump tweeted.



As long as Trump maintains control of his Twitter account, he will remain his own communications director. </s> Image copyright Black Rock Group Image caption Mike Dubke was something of an outsider in the White House

The White House communications director has resigned only three months after being hired by President Donald Trump.

Mike Dubke, an experienced Republican strategist, was hired in March to revamp the White House media strategy.

As part of the shake-up, White House press secretary Sean Spicer will reportedly hold on to his position, but there will be fewer media briefings.

The reshuffle follows reports of disarray in the White House communications team.

Russia inquiry expands to Trump lawyer

Mr Dubke tendered his resignation on 18 May and is leaving on good terms, according to Axios News, a politics website which first reported his exit.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Rumours have been swirling that White House press secretary Sean Spicer could be replaced

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Mr Dubke had agreed to stay on until Mr Trump returned from his trip to the Middle East and Europe on Saturday.

"Mike tendered his resignation just before the President's historic international trip and offered to remain onboard until a transition is concluded," said Mr Priebus.

"Mike will assist with the transition and be a strong advocate for the President and the President's policies moving forward."

According to news website Politico, Mr Dubke, 47, provided few details on his departure in an email to friends.

"The reasons for my departure are personal," he wrote, "but it has been my great honor to serve President Trump and this administration.

"It has also been my distinct pleasure to work side-by-side, day-by-day with the staff of the communications and press departments.

"This White House is filled with some of the finest and hardest working men and women in the American Government."

Analysis - BBC North America Reporter Anthony Zurcher

Mike Dubke was an outsider hired to bring focus and discipline to the Trump White House communications operation. After just three months on the job, he's back on the outside again.

In the vast scheme of things, whether Dubke willingly quit or was forced to resign isn't all that important. Despite his title, it's difficult to gauge how much influence he ever had with the president.

What's worth noting is that the first change in what could be a larger White House shake-up has come in the communications department, with rumours of further reorganisation imminent.

This lends credence to earlier reports that the president views his administration's ongoing difficulties as a messaging problem, and not one of policies or management.

If that's the case, it appears the new message will be delivered with bare knuckles.

Old campaign hands, like the pugnacious Corey Lewandowski, are being considered for White House jobs and the president could be hitting the road for more unscripted big-venue rallies with his supporters.

It would mark a return to the campaign tactics that won Mr Trump the presidency - where every stumble or controversy was countered aggressively, political decorum and tradition be damned.

'War room'

President Trump is reported to have been frustrated with White House messaging amid congressional and FBI investigations into whether his campaign officials colluded with an alleged Kremlin plot to help him win the presidency.

He recently raised the idea of scrapping the daily news briefing altogether and holding one himself every fortnight.

According to Axios, Mr Trump plans to follow through on that plan by taking more questions directly from the media.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer - who made a return to the media podium on Tuesday - will reportedly hold fewer on-camera briefings.

"I think the president is very pleased with his team and he has a robust agenda," Mr Spicer told reporters during a 20-minute press conference.

"Ultimately the best messenger is the president himself," he added.

"He's always proven that," said Mr Spicer, "that he is the best messenger not just for what he wants to articulate but that the American people resoundingly chose him as their president - because he understands the frustrations and concerns and values of the American people and he is probably the best person to communicate that".

White House rallies to Kushner's defence

How Trump's Russia trouble unfolded

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for Mr Trump, was spotted leaving the White House on Monday

Mr Dubke, who previously worked as senior partner for Republican political advertising company Crossroads Media, was not part of the Trump campaign and was not seen as a loyalist.

The White House has not named a successor for Mr Dubke.

However, Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for Mr Trump, was spotted leaving the White House on Monday.

Image copyright Twitter Image caption President Trump's tweet on Tuesday morning

Mr Lewandowski was forced out in June last year amid reports of a power struggle with Jared Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser.

However, Mr Kushner is now reportedly under scrutiny as part of the FBI's investigation into alleged Moscow influence that is engulfing Mr Trump's fledgling presidency.

According to reports, the combative Mr Lewandowski could rejoin the administration soon to lead a White House "war room" to counter the narrative that Mr Trump is too close to Russia.

The fight-back strategy could include hiring more lawyers to handle the allegations, according to reports. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House communications staffer has resigned as President Donald Trump considers a major staff overhaul amid intensifying inquiries into his campaign’s dealings with Russia.

The departure of Michael Dubke, Trump’s communications director, comes as aides and outside advisers say Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and revelations of possible ties between his campaign and Moscow.

Trump tweeted Tuesday: “Russian officials must be laughing at the U.S. & how a lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election has taken over the Fake News.”

Dubke wrote in a statement that it had been an honor to serve Trump and “my distinct pleasure to work side by side, day by day with the staff of the communications and press departments.”

Dubke offered his resignation earlier this month, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told The Associated Press on Tuesday, but offered to stay on during the president’s first foreign trip. His last day has not yet been determined.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus thanked Dubke in a statement and said Dubke had “offered to remain onboard until a transition is concluded.”

“Mike will assist with the transition and be a strong advocate for the president and the president’s policies moving forward,” he said.

A Republican consultant, Dubke joined the White House team in February. The position had gone unfilled after campaign aide Jason Miller — Trump’s original choice for communications director — backed out of the job in December before the president’s inauguration. Dubke founded Crossroads Media, a GOP firm that specializes in political advertising.

Dubke is the latest White House staffer to leave the administration as scrutiny intensifies over contacts Trump staffers may have had with Russian government officials during the campaign and transition.

It’s unclear whether other staff moves are imminent. Trump has entertained bringing his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and former deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, more formally back into the fold. And both Lewandowski and Bossie visited the White House on Monday night, according to a person familiar with the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private get-together.

Bossie told “Fox & Friends” that the Trump administration has reached out to him but hasn’t offered him a job yet.

“They have talked to many people, including me,” Bossie said. He later added: “It’s an ongoing conversation, and that’s a fair way to put it.”

In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Conway said Dubke “made very clear that he would see through the president’s international trip, and come to work every day and work hard even through that trip because there was much to do here back at the White House.”

Dubke’s hiring was intended to lighten the load on Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, who had also been handling the duties of communications director during Trump’s first month in office. Trump has privately and publicly pinned much of the blame for his administration’s rough start on the White House’s communications strategy.

While overseas, Trump’s longtime lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, joined a still-forming legal team to help the president shoulder the intensifying investigations into Russian interference in the election and his associates’ potential involvement. More attorneys with deep experience in Washington investigations are expected to be added, along with crisis communication experts, to help the White House in the weeks ahead.

The latest revelations to emerge last week involved Trump’s son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner. Shortly after the election, Kushner allegedly discussed setting up a secret communications channel with the Russian government to facilitate sensitive discussions about the conflict in Syria.

The intent was to connect Trump’s chief national security adviser at the time, Michael Flynn, with Russian military leaders, a person familiar with the discussions told the AP. The person wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss private policy deliberations and insisted on anonymity.

Flynn handed in his resignation in February after it was revealed he misled top White House officials about his contacts with Russian officials.

A senior administration official said Kushner was keeping his head down and focusing on work after the foreign trip. The official said Kushner was eager to share what he knows with Congress and other investigators. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss private thinking and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The disclosure of the back channel has put the White House on the defensive. Just back from his nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe, Trump dismissed recent reports as “fake news.”

Trump also has renewed his criticism of Germany following Chancellor Angela Merkel’s suggestion that her country needs to adopt a more independent stance in world affairs.

Trump posted a tweet Tuesday saying “we have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change.”

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Jill Colvin contributed to this report. </s> The departure of Michael Dubke, Trump's communications director, comes as aides say Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and revelations of possible ties between his campaign and Moscow.

"It has been my great honor to serve President Trump and this administration," Dubke wrote in a statement. "It has also been my distinct pleasure to work side-by-side, day-by-day with the staff of the communications and press departments."

Dubke's last day has not yet been determined.

A Republican consultant, Dubke joined the White House team in February after campaign aide Jason Miller — Trump's original choice for communications director — withdrew from the White House team. Dubke founded Crossroads Media, a GOP firm that specializes in political advertising.

Dubke is the latest White House staffer to leave this administration as scrutiny intensifies over contacts Trump staffers may have had with Russian government officials during the campaign and transition period.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Dubke resigned before Trump left for his international trip earlier this month, suggesting that his departure is not linked to any pending shake-ups.

But his departure raises questions about whether previous Trump loyalists are headed to the White House. Trump has entertained formally bringing back his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and former deputy campaign manager, David Bossie.

Bossie told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" that the Trump administration has reached out to him but hasn't offered him a job yet.

"They have talked to many people, including me," Bossie said. He later added: "It's an ongoing conversation and that's a fair way to put it."

In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Conway said Dubke "made very clear that he would see through the president's international trip, and come to work every day and work hard even through that trip because there was much to do here back at the White House."

Dubke's hiring was intended to lighten the load on Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, who had also been handling the duties of communications director during Trump's first month in office. Trump has privately pinned some of the blame for his administration's rough start on the White House's communications strategy.

While overseas, Trump's longtime lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, joined a still-forming legal team to help the president shoulder the intensifying investigations into Russian interference in the election and his associates' potential involvement. More attorneys with deep experience in Washington investigations are expected to be added, along with crisis communication experts, to help the White House in the weeks ahead.

The latest revelations to emerge last week involved Trump's son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner. Shortly after the election, Kushner allegedly discussed setting up a secret communications channel with the Russian government to facilitate sensitive discussions about the conflict in Syria.

The intent was to connect Trump's chief national security adviser at the time, Michael Flynn, with Russian military leaders, a person familiar with the discussions told the AP. The person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss private policy deliberations and insisted on anonymity.

Flynn handed in his resignation in February after it was revealed he misled top White House officials about his contacts with Russian officials.

The disclosure of the back channel has put the White House on the defensive. Just back from his nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe, Trump dismissed recent reports as "fake news." </s> WASHINGTON (KFSM) — Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director, two sources tell CNN.

It’s the latest high-profile departure from the Trump White House. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned at the end of last week, replaced by John Kelly, whose first day is Monday.

A White House official said Kelly wanted Scaramucci removed from his new role as the communications director because he did not think he was disciplined and had burned his credibility.

Scaramucci, a colorful and controversial figure, was brought on during the latest in a long list of White House shake ups that have rocked imbued the presidency with a sense of chaos.

Scaramucci is the third White House communications director to leave the post that had been vacant since late May, when Mike Dubke left after about three months on the job. Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, also assumed some of the communications director role before he resigned when Scaramucci was hired July 21.

His departure comes days after Scaramucci unleashed a vulgar tirade against two top White House officials in a conversation with a reporter.

This story is breaking and will be updated. </s> (CBS News) – White House Communications Director Mike Dubke is out, CBS News has confirmed.

The move comes as the role of President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is also under FBI scrutiny for his alleged establishment of a back-channel of communications with the Kremlin during the transition.

The most recent staff shakeup was anticipated before Mr. Trump left for his overseas trip as the administration fell under a series of missteps including reports that Mr. Trump had divulged classified information to Russian officials at a White House meeting.

CBS News’ Major Garrett previously reported that a change in the White House communications team was coming due to Mr. Trump’s frustrations with the direction of his agenda.

“Things can’t keep going the way they are,” a senior Trump administration official told Garrett.

Dubke was originally brought in to be communications director when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked to focus on the briefing job and drop the time-consuming obligations of the job. The communications director oversees the White House messaging and promotes its agenda.

Dubke has no attachment to Mr. Trump and has always been something of an outsider. He’s not a Trump loyalist and did not work for the campaign. The White House has also not provided a name of who will be replacing Dubke’s role.

Dubke had originally replaced Jason Miller, who declined to accept the the White House job shortly after he was tapped to lead the communications office in December. Previously, Dubke served as a partner for the political advertising group Crossroads Media, which describes itself as “the premier Republican media services firm.” Dubke also led the Virginia-based Black Rock Group, a strategic communications and public affairs firm.

Spicer is expected to lead the daily briefing later Tuesday afternoon where he is likely to face questions into Dubke’s departure. </s> Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director.

It's the latest high-profile departure from the Trump White House. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned at the end of last week, replaced by John Kelly, whose first day is Monday.

"Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Monday afternoon. "Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give chief of staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best."

A White House official said Kelly wanted Scaramucci removed from his new role as the communications director because he did not think he was disciplined and had burned his credibility.

Scaramucci, a colorful and controversial figure, was brought on during the latest in a long list of White House shake ups that have rocked the presidency with a sense of chaos.

Scaramucci is the third White House communications director to leave the post that had been vacant since late May, when Mike Dubke left after about three months on the job. Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary, also assumed some of the communications director role before he resigned when Scaramucci was hired July 21.

Scaramucci's departure comes days after he unleashed a vulgar tirade against two top White House officials in a conversation with a reporter. </s> White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigned from his post to protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to appoint New York financier Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director, a media report said.

Spicer at a White House meeting this morning told the president that he vehemently disagreed with his choice for a new White House Communication Director.

"The president requested that Mr Spicer stay on, but Mr Spicer told Mr Trump that he believed the appointment was a major mistake, according to a person with direct knowledge of the exchange," The New York Times reported. The news was later confirmed by the White House.

The White House had been without a communications director since May, when Mike Dubke resigned from the role in the first personnel shakeup of the Trump administration.

Spicer had taken on the responsibilities associated with the job in the interim and strongly opposed Trump s decision to hire Scaramucci.

Ever since being appointed as the White House Press Secretary, Spicer had emerged as the house hold name in the US and globally, often facing tough questions from the media.
Michael Dubke resigns as President Trump's White House Communications Director after three months on the job.