June 01, 2007

Bartlett Resigns As White House Counselor

UPDATED.

Dan Bartlett, the longest-serving aide to George W. Bush, has resigned from his post as counselor to the president to seek employment in the private sector, the White House announced today.

"It's been a hell of a ride," Bartlett told Reuters, citing personal reasons for his departure. "I've had competing families. And unfortunately, the Bush family has prevailed too many times, and it's high time for the Bartlett family to finally prevail," he said.

Bartlett, 36, has been a member of the Bush team for nearly 14 years, beginning with the 1994 gubernatorial campaign in Texas. He served as White House communications director during Bush's first term as president and jumped to the position of counselor in January 2005, filling the shoes of Karen Hughes.

AP and Bloomberg News both have reports looking back on Bartlett's tenure in the White House.

Bush issued a statement this morning in response to Bartlett's resignation. "Since coming to work for me fourteen years ago as I prepared to run for governor, Dan has become a husband and a father," the president said. "I understand his decision to make his young family his first priority."

Bartlett's resignation, which will take effect July 4, follows a spate of top administration departures last month that included White House political director Sara Taylor and U.S. Agency for International Development head Randall Tobias.

White House photo by Susan Sterner

Posted at 12:45 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration
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