Stephanie Grisham
Stephanie Grisham | |
|---|---|
| White House Director of Communications | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Bill Shine |
| 30th White House Press Secretary | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Sarah Sanders |
| Press Secretary to the First Lady | |
| In office March 27, 2017 – July 1, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Joanna Rosholm |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1977 (age 41–42)[1] Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 2 |
Stephanie Grisham (born c. 1977)[2] is an American White House official who serves as the 30th White House press secretary and as the current White House communications director.[3] She was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team.[4]
Contents
Career[edit]
In 2007, Grisham was the spokeswoman for AAA Arizona.[5] She also worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.[6][7]
As spokeswoman for Arizona attorney general Tom Horne,[1] she witnessed the badly botched execution of Joseph Wood and courted scandal by claiming that the two hour ordeal had been "quite peaceful".[8][9]
Bruce Wheeler, a former legislator, said Grisham inconsistently served the interests of the public, in particular in the service of Arizona House speaker David Gowan,[10][11] who had billed Arizona for his own personal and political travels. Tom Ryan, the attorney representing the whistleblower who exposed Horne's improper use of official resources, said Grisham overstepped the boundaries separating official and campaign duties by traveling with Gowan in state cars while he was running for Congress. [11]
Wheeler said, "I saw how she served as adequate, effective flack for the speaker of the House of Representatives in not answering important questions and providing critical information when requested." Regarding her controversies, Wheeler said, "She was always trying to deflect and protect the speaker."[11]
She also worked as a spokesperson for the Arizona House of Representatives Republican caucus.
In 2015, Grisham, as an independent contractor, worked as a press coordinator for Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia.[12]
Role in Trump campaign and administration[edit]
In late 2015, Grisham started working as a press aide to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential Campaign.[7] According to the Arizona Capitol Times, Grisham first took a long-term, unpaid leave from the Arizona House of Representatives to work on Trump’s campaign. Arizona House speaker David Gowan paid her $19,000 in state salary over an 8-week period while she was serving as a member of the Trump transition team.[13][14]
In 2017, after Trump's victory, Grisham was named deputy press secretary for Sean Spicer in the West Wing of the White House.[6][7]
| “ | Grisham was one of Trump's early Arizona staffers. She helped arrange his campaign stops in Phoenix and around the state and region throughout the primary, a role that quickly expanded to include his rallies around the U.S. After his victory, Grisham was named a special adviser for operations and has been serving on Trump's transition team.[1][15][16][17] | ” |
In March 2017, Melania Trump moved her over to the East Wing.[7] A former White House colleague of Donald Trump's stated that Trump was remorseful at losing Grisham to Melania Trump's office, due to Grisham's prior loyalty and skill at handling the press while acting as his traveling press secretary. During that time, she built relationships with many reporters at events. Despite losing Grisham as part of his own staff, Trump said he was satisfied that his wife would "be in good hands". Grisham was described by several sources that had worked with her previously as being "highly competent" and "self-aware", and believed she enjoyed "trolling the press" via speculative statements that were released.[18]
The United States Office of Special Counsel stated that Grisham violated the Hatch Act of 1939 following a complaint by Senator Tom Carper. Grisham was accused of using her official Twitter account on July 11, 2018 to tweet out Trump's campaign slogan. Violation of the act is not a crime, but a workplace guideline, and the agency responded by sending Grisham a warning letter.[19]
In July 2019, Grisham replaced Sarah Sanders as White House press secretary and White House communications director, a move that was announced by First Lady Melania Trump via Twitter on June 25, 2019.[10][7]
Personal life[edit]
Grisham is a divorced mother of two children. Her older son graduated from high school in May 2017.[6][4]
Grisham was charged with driving under the influence, speeding, and driving with an invalid license in 2013.[20] The charges were plea bargained and reduced to reckless driving.[20] In December 2015, Grisham was again charged with driving under the influence, and pleaded guilty to that offense.[20] Grisham fully disclosed those events to the White House.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Wingett Sanchez, Yvonne. "This Arizonan is going to the White House to work for Donald Trump". Arizona Central. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ Wagner, John (June 25, 2019). "First lady's communications director to succeed Sarah Sanders as White House press secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Pappas, Alex (June 25, 2019). "Stephanie Grisham to be the new White House Press Secretary". Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Morrow, Brendan (March 27, 2017). "Stephanie Grisham: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ TucsonSentinel.com. "Ex-Tucsonan named spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump". tucsonsentinel.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c FOX. "Single mother from the Valley working for the Trump White House". fox10phoenix.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Bach, Natasha. Who Is Stephanie Grisham? She Might Be Sarah Sanders' Replacement, Fortune, June 14, 2019.
- ^ Matt Pearce, Cindy Carcamo, Maya Srikrishnan. "Arizona killer takes 2 hours to die, fueling lethal-injection debate - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ "It's Time to End Our State-Sponsored Barbarism". esquire.com. July 24, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ a b "Trump taps Melania Trump's spokeswoman as next White House press secretary". CNN.
- ^ a b c Stephanie Grisham, new White House press secretary, had controversial Arizona career, Arizona Republic, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ "Arizona House spokeswoman prepping for the pope". azcentral.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ Stephenson, Hank (April 25, 2017). "FLOTUS spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham on state payroll while on Trump's victory tour and transition team". Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Trump Names House PR Person To Staff, Treasurer As Adviser". knau.org. Associated Press. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Schedule B for ALL Line #'s". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Schedule B for Line #23". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Schedule B for ALL Line #'s". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ Markay, Lachlan (August 7, 2018). "The White House Won't Stop Melania From Contradicting Trump". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Hutzler, Alexandra (October 9, 2018). "Melania Trump's Spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham Violated Hatch Act With 'Make America Great Again' Tweet". Newsweek. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c Rogers, Katie; Karni, Annie (June 25, 2019). "Trump Names Stephanie Grisham, Aide to First Lady, as Sarah Sanders's Successor" – via NYTimes.com.
External links[edit]
- Stephanie Grisham – TucsonSentinel.com
- Stephanie Grisham – Arizona Capitol Times
- Stephanie Grisham - Washington Post
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Shine |
White House Director of Communications 2019–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Sarah Sanders |
White House Press Secretary 2019–present | |
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