White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah will take over the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday afternoon in place of a vacationing Sarah Huckabee Sanders, The Hill confirmed Wednesday.
Axios first reported that the 32-year-old Shah will make his daily press briefing debut. The reported noted that Sanders’s vacation was long-planned.
{mosads}Shah made headlines earlier this week after New York magazine reported messages showed Shah calling the release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape “some justice,” apparently a dig at then-candidate Donald Trump.
The tape, uncovered during the 2016 campaign, includes audio of President Trump in 2005 bragging to then-“Access Hollywood” correspondent Billy Bush about being able to grope women due to his celebrity status.
Shah made the written comment while working at the Republican National Committee.
“U wanna hear something a little f–ked up?” Shah allegedly wrote in an email to another staffer shortly after the “Access Hollywood” tape was leaked to The Washington Post just days before the second presidential debate in October 2016.
“I’m kinda enjoying this, some justice. I honestly don’t think it’s the worst thing he’s done but he somehow got passes for the other acts,” he added.
The White House press briefings continue to attract major attention on cable news, with all the major outlets cutting away from regular programming to carry the almost-daily event live, invariably receiving a ratings bump for doing so.