Kate Bedingfield to leave White House

President Joe Biden’s communications director, Kate Bedingfield, is leaving her post, the administration announced Friday. And this time, it’s for real.

Bedingfield, a longtime Biden aide, previously announced her plan to depart last July, only to reverse course and remain in the job.

“Since my time as Vice President, Kate has been a loyal and trusted adviser, through thick and thin,” Biden said in a statement. “She was a critical strategic voice from the very first day of my presidential campaign in 2019 and has been a key part of advancing my agenda in the White House.”

Ben LaBolt, a former Obama administration aide who most recently oversaw the White House effort to confirm Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, will replace Bedingfield in the role.

The announcement comes amid other staff changes following the administration’s two-year mark, including this week’s departure of Biden’s first chief of staff, Ron Klain. And it could presage additional turnover in the White House communications shop as Klain’s successor, Jeff Zients, establishes his own team.

Bedingfield will leave her job at the end of February, the White House said in its announcement.