State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down this month, officials said on Tuesday.
“For people in America and around the world, Ned Price has often been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “He’s performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. On behalf of the Department, I thank Ned for his remarkable service.”
Price, who has served as the State Department’s top spokesperson since January 2021, will assume a new role working directly for Blinken, according to the statement. A State Department official, who was granted anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said Price would be taking a policy focused role in Blinken‘s office, though it was not immediately clear what type of policy area.
“I started as a public servant as an analyst at the CIA, and I ended up in this job because of a series of accidents, fateful accidents,” Price told NBC News. “I have loved being in this line of work for the past several years. And one of the things I love most about it is the connection to the policy.”
Price previously worked as a CIA analyst and served as a spokesperson on for the National Security Council during the Obama administration.
In his statement, Blinken particularly thanked Price for bringing back the department’s daily press briefings, which were irregular during the Trump administration, praising Price for “giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy.”
“Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries,” Blinken added. “His contributions will benefit the Department long after his service.”
Vedant Patel, Price’s current deputy, will serve as his temporary replacement, the State Department official said.
