J. Scott Jennings, White House Deputy Director of Political Affairs, has been Karl Rove’s right-hand man, assisting him in schemes ranging from the U.S. attorney scandal to political briefings at government agencies.
ThinkProgress spoke with a White House spokesperson today who confirmed that Jennings is resigning, less than two months after his boss stepped down. The official told ThinkProgress that Jennings would be leaving “sometime soon.” KYPolitics.org reports that Jennings is leaving to become a principal at Peritus Public Relations in Kentucky.
A look back at Jennings’s tenure at the White House:
Installed political cronies as U.S. attorneys: Jennings was intimately involved in installing Rove-protege Tim Griffin as U.S. attorney in Arkansas. E-mails show that “Jennings was in close contact with Griffin, even working out the logistics of getting Griffin appointed.” A former RNC research director, Griffin was allegedly involved in a voter suppression scheme in the 2004 election.
Briefed government employees on helping GOP candidates: In Jan. 2007, Jennings and GSA chief Lurita Doan held a briefing for agency employees on “ways to help Republican candidates.” Multiple other government agencies report similar briefings. The Hatch Act explicitly prohibits partisan campaign activities on federal property.
Skirted Presidential Records Act by using political e-mail accounts: Jennings was one of at least 80 White House aides who stopped using official government e-mail accounts to avoid public scrutiny. Instead, he used a “gwb43.com” e-mail address to correspond about his political — and potentially illegal — activities.
The White House official with whom ThinkProgress spoke could not give a reason for Jennings’s departure.