Top Scalise spokeswoman steps down

The top spokeswoman for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) is stepping down after less than seven months on the job, a rocky period during which Scalise faced a deluge of negative press after revelations he spoke to a white supremacist group in 2002.

Moira Bagley Smith, communications director for the whip’s office, is leaving to “pursue opportunities in the private sector,” she said in a statement Wednesday. Deputy Communications Director TJ Tatum will replace her on an interim basis.

{mosads}When announcing her hiring in September, Scalise praised Smith’s “familiarity” with the Capitol Hill press corps, but she rarely responded to tough questions about her boss, including from The Hill. 

Over the holidays, Scalise acknowledged that, as a state lawmaker, he had given a speech to a white supremacist group founded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. In recent weeks, Scalise’s whip operation has come under scrutiny, after several high-profile bills failed to pass in the House. And on Tuesday, one of Scalise’s senior deputy whips, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), said he was resigning over a growing ethics scandal related to excessive spending.

In a statement, Scalise praised Smith for being “an integral part of getting the Whip operation up and running. Her professionalism and communications expertise has been a great asset to Team Scalise.”

Smith joined Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) Senate office after his election in 2010 and had also worked at the Republican National Committee and as a reporter with Roll Call.

She said it was “bittersweet” to leave, saying the “past few months with Team Scalise have provided some of the best experiences in my career, and fostered close friendships that I will cherish always.”  

“I am forever grateful for the opportunities Whip Scalise provided me and I am proud of his strong leadership in his role as Whip,” Smith said.