CNN Hires Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

Jay Carney may now get the chance to have a few Crossfire showdowns. 

Less than four months after the White House press secretary was announced to be stepping down, CNN has officially added Carney as a political commentator.

“Jay’s unique experience as both a journalist and a White House press secretary make him an invaluable voice for the network as we cover the final two years of the Obama administration and look ahead to the coming campaigns,” CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist said in a statement.

Carney, who served as Time magazine’s Washington bureau chief before departing to the White House, resigned from his administration role on May 30.

Within days, speculation swirled about which media role he would pursue — a book and a cable news job were both mentioned. On June 18, less than a month after leaving the White House, The Washington Post reported that CNN already had made “a fine offer” to Carney for a network role.

“I haven’t made any decisions about what combination of things I’m going to be doing,” Carney told The New York Times Magazine in an interview published on July 3. “I’m not going to go back to being a journalist full time, but I may write a bit. I’m not going to disappear from view.”

Conveniently, Carney joins the network the day that President Obama is set to address the nation in a major speech to outline a strategy to combat the militant group ISIS in the Middle East.

“We’re fortunate to have Jay on our air tonight to provide analysis and insight surrounding the President’s address to the nation,” Feist said in the statement.

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