Kevin Roberts, director of communications for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is leaving his post to take a job in the private sector. His last day will be April 22.
The story was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Roberts, who was previously communications director for the New Jersey Republican State Committee, joined Christie’s team in 2010, first serving as deputy press secretary before becoming press secretary for Christie's 2013 re-election bid. In 2015 he was appointed communications director, a role in which he remained during the Governor’s unsuccessful 2016 Presidential run.
“Working for Governor Christie for the last six and half years has been an incredible experience. I will always be thankful for the opportunity he gave me to enter public service and serve alongside hundreds of incredibly smart and dedicated people,” Roberts said in a statement.
Roberts declined to divulge to the Journal the details of his forthcoming job.
The Journal also reported that Roberts had initially planned to leave the governor’s administration after Christie's 2013 re-election, but stayed on in lieu of the “Bridgegate” scandal, in which members of the Governor’s staff allegedly colluded to create traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge as a means of retaliation against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who had declined to endorse Christie in the gubernatorial election. That incident ultimately led to the indictment of deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly.
As of press time, the governor's office has not named Roberts’ replacement.
Roberts’ departure is only the latest in what has recently resembled a communications exodus from Christie’s office, whose governorship is set to expire in January, 2018.
Christie's chief of staff, Regina Egea, resigned on April 7, also with unspecified plans to leave for the private sector. Egea, who was previously director of the governor's Authorities Unit, had served as the governor's chief of staff since December 2013. Amy Cradic, who has been Christie's senior policy adviser since 2012, succeeds her.
Maria Comella, former deputy chief of staff for communications and one of Christie’s top political aides, in March announced her resignation. Comella, the longest serving member of Christie’s senior staff, had been with the governor since 2009, and was allegedly responsible for shaping Christie’s image for his 2016 presidential run.
A March poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University's Public Mind found that Christie's approval rating in New Jersey now stands at its lowest point since he assumed office, with 61 percent of respondents claiming they disapprove of their governor's performance. That poll was conducted a week after Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump for President.
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