sarah huckabee
Today’s White House press briefing is one of the most-highly anticipated in all of President Donald Trump‘s young presidency.
Though one important part of his tenure, Press Secretary Sean Spicer, won’t even be there. He is reportedly fulfilling his Navy duties at the Pentagon once again.
Instead of Spicer fielding the questions, Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is taking the podium for her second time in less than a week (and second time ever).
This press briefing comes just one day after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey unexpectedly.
The press briefing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
To watch a live stream of the briefing, take a look at the video below:
Huckabee is the daughter of former Arkansas governor, presidential candidate and political TV analyst Mike Huckabee.
The White House issued a statement shortly after Comey, who was leading an investigation into Russia’s connections with Trump’s presidential campaign, was fired. It said Trump removed him from his position “based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Statement from @WhiteHouse @PressSec on @FBI Director
Rosenstein’s recommendation letter to Trump took many by surprise. He was extremely critical of Comey in it, chastising him for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton and her use of a private email server while working as the secretary of state under President Barack Obama.
Click here to read his full, two-page letter.
Spicer was also absent at a press briefing May 5. That was the first time that Huckabee stood in for him.
Huckabee got her start in politics during her father’s 2002 re-election campaign for governor in Arkansas. After that, she served as a regional liaison for congressional affairs at the Department of Education. She was also a field coordinator for President George W. Bush‘s 2004 re-election bid.
Then, in 2008, Sarah was the national political director for her dad’s 2008 presidential bid and managed her father’s 2016 presidential campaign as well. She signed on as a senior advisor for the Trump campaign after her dad bowed out of the race and was tasked with handling the Trump campaign’s communications for coalitions.
When Trump won, Sarah got a spot within the administration as the Deputy White House Press Secretary.