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| Mary Elizabeth Taylor |
Mary Elizabeth Taylor, one of the highest-ranking Black officials in the Trump administration, has resigned to protest the president 's handling of racial issues.
"Moments of upheaval can change you, shift the trajectory of your life, and mold your character," she wrote in a letter to secretary of state Mike Pompeo. "The President’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice and Black Americans cut sharply against my core values and convictions."
As special assistant for legislative affairs at the State Dept., Taylor shepherded the nominations of Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch, CIA director Gina Haspel and Pompeo through the Senate, as well as more than 400 other nominations, according to her State Dept. bio.
The Washington Post called Taylor "a pivotal behind-the-scenes figure in the administration." At 30, she was the youngest person to hold her State Dept. job and the first Black woman to do so.
Prior to joining the Trump Team, Taylor worked in the office of majority leader Mitch McConnell, serving as his liaison to Democratic leaders on legislative and executive matters.
Jeffrey Nesbit, who served as communications director for former vice president Dan Quayle, is named assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, will exit at the end of the month. Ben LaBolt, a longtime Biden adviser, will take the CD post.
Cathy Cochran, senior VP in Teneo’s Washington office, has rejoined the US Dept of Agriculture as director in its communications office.
Mexico is working with the DC-based Global Action on Gun Violence to push for “impactful gun violence prevention strategies” in the US.
Douglas Farrar, who was VP-communications and strategy at the Carnegie Center for International Peace, has joined the Federal Trade Commission as PA director.
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