All of a sudden, there is a mass exodus from Speaker Johnson’s (R-LA) office.
In the course of the last couple of weeks, there are now five people who have left his office.
The latest being Speaker Johnson’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications.
Time to Go
It was announced this week that Raj Shah was departing from his position on Speaker Johnson’s staff.
Shah stated, “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.”
Johnson thanked Shah for his service, stating, “Because of the unprecedented circumstances under which I became Speaker, I needed an experienced leader with talent and gravitas to build and drive our message.
“I am grateful Raj agreed to step up and serve.
“He has become a trusted advisor and built an incredible communications team.
“Raj has fulfilled his commitment to us and I wish him continued success.”
Johnson also lost three holdovers from Kevin McCarthy’s speakership, all policy advisers, including one who is considered an expert on budgets.
This all comes after the departure of Anang Mittal, Johnson’s Head of Digital.
Mittal left due to bad performance and allegations of workplace misconduct.
When staffers start to bail like this, it is usually because they think the ship is sinking and they don’t want to go down with it.
This does not bode well for the GOP’s hopes of holding the House in 2025 and even if they do, it is not a good sign that Johnson would be elected to hold the gavel.
For many, myself included, Johnson’s time as Speaker cannot conclude quickly enough.
