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CNN Live Today

Karen Hughes Announces She's Resigning

Aired April 23, 2002 - 10:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We've got some more on that breaking story that we mentioned at the very top of the show this morning, word that change is under way in the White House that Karen Hughes, the president's counselor, is now talking about stepping away.

Let's go to our John King, who has been trying to get the latest for us on this story. John, as we know have, you have been hustling your way over to the White House. What have you learned?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, Karen Hughes walked into the White House briefing room this morning to announce that she is resigning effective this summer. She is the president's top communications advisor, somebody whose service with George W. Bush dates back to his days as governor of Texas, a former TV reporter in Dallas, Texas, who joined the Bush for governor effort in Texas and has stayed with him, of course, a familiar face to those who watch the people who work closely for the president to go out and defend him, someone who writes most of his major speeches, including the State of the Union address, recent speeches updating us on the war on terrorism.

What is perhaps most surprising about this is it that took so long for one of the president's top aides to leave the White House. It is a grueling job here inside the White House, especially in new administrations. Usually at about the one-year point, you see either senior members of the cabinet or top aides moving on for family reasons. This president has a very loyal staff.

Karen Hughes announcing today that she will leave at the end of the summer to go back to Texas. She says she will still work closely with her friends here in the administration. She says she wants to go home, because she wants to take her children back home to their home in Texas, so that they can be with their long-time friends.

In a way, you might actually see more of Karen Hughes once she leaves. She says she will still defend the president and promote the president in public. So she will return to Texas, but she will continue to be involved with this administration. And we are told her deputy, another long-time Bush staffer dating back to day one as Texas governor, Dan Bartlett will move up and become communications director -- Leon.

HARRIS: So, John, there is no sense that this change at this particular point with the war going on and everything is going to be disruptive in any way at the White House?

KING: She herself said she did not believe it would be. This has been in the works. We have known that she has been discussing this with friends and allies for several months. She said she had to make the decision last week and asked the president, because she faced a May 1 deadline to tell her son's school here in the Washington area whether he would be back next year.

So she said she and her husband got together. She had been back in Texas visiting friends, and she said the emotional pull, if you will, of returning home to friends and family decided that she would go back. She sat down with president and Mrs. Bush and talked about it. She says, again, that she will continue to be involved, continue to be available if president wants help with a big speech.

And remember, back in the past when you have seen senior people leave administrations in the past, people like Joe Lockhart who defended President Clinton after he left the White House, things like that, expect you will see a lot more of Karen Hughes even once she is out of the White House than you have seen in a public way than when she worked here in the White House.

HARRIS: Yes. Anything is possible, and that is definitely true. How about a demonstration of family values like that? John King at the White House -- thank you very much.

Now, we should also mention right now that we have just learned here, as I was talking to John, we just found out that Karen Hughes is going to be a guest here on CNN this afternoon on "INSIDE POLITICS" with Judy Woodruff. Check that out at 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

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