Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, gave outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt a peculiar performance review on Wednesday, praising the way she defends his foe.
“She is very good at her job. Very impressive. I think it takes a toll having to defend this president all the time, and so I have no doubt [of] her story,” Kinzinger said on CNN’s “The Source.”
Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social that Leavitt will be departing from her role at the end of August “so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family.”
“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” he wrote.
Leavitt, who returned from maternity leave just last month, wrote on social media that “being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least.”
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” she continued.
Kinzinger did not cast doubt on Leavitt’s reason for leaving her role, noting that working in the White House is difficult, but gave a seemingly backhanded compliment of her performance during Trump’s second term.
“I don’t know who they replace her with that is going to be as good as she was at it. She had the ability to, in even a couple of your clips, you’re, like, saying obvious truth, and she’ll just kind of look at it, like — obfuscate. ‘That’s not true.’ And she had a classy way to do it,” Kinzinger told host Kaitlan Collins. “So I think it’s going to be a hit for the administration.”