US President Barack Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that he would step down next month and boost his boss's 2012 re-election bid from outside the White House.
Gibbs, 39, who is considered very close to Obama since his pre-election days and said to be one of the most influential individuals in the current Administration, would leave the White House sometime in February, after the US President delivers his annual State of the Union Address. No dates of the State of the Union Address has been announced yet, but is likely to be held in the last week of January or the first week of February.
In the Washington's political circles, speculation was ripe about Gibbs departing the White House. The Press Secretary confirmed the news, saying that he would be working as a consultant to the President outside of the White House. "It is true," Gibbs said in response to an email, CBS News said.
The departure of Gibbs comes as Obama contemplates a reshuffle to freshen his administration and as his reelection campaign machinery begins to stir. No replacement has been named yet, while a few names have immediately cropped up including his two deputies Bill Burton, Josh Earnest, besides
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