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Biden’s National Security spokesman John Kirby landed a new gig as the director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, according to the program website. Axios first reported that Kirby would start his new role on Nov. 15. The University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP) was founded by former President Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod in 2013. (RELATED: Biden Officials Slip Back Into The Swamp As Trump Takes Charge In DC) “John’s whole life has been about public service. He’s a seasoned leader and mentor, whose remarkable experience is matched by his curiosity, openness and humility. All of these qualities will make him a great director of the IOP,” Axelrod told Axios about Kirby’s new role. Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Kirby beefed throughout the final year of the administration. Kirby frequently attended the briefings following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. (RELATED: ‘Unprecedented’: KJP’s Worst Fears Appear To Be Coming True) In the final months of the administration, Jean-Pierre began blocking Kirby from attending the briefings because she had “fumed” about being upstaged, people familiar with the matter told Axios. Kirby’s frequent visits to the briefing room had come at the direction of former President Joe Biden, Axios previously reported. Biden had even asked his national security spokesperson to travel with him on domestic and international trips. “You’ll have an admiral looking over your shoulder,” Biden told Jean-Pierre when she was named press secretary, sources told the New York Times. When Kirby would attend briefings, Jean-Pierre would call on reporters for him, Axios previously reported. Jean-Pierre frequently did that for guests of the briefing, with more regular officials calling on reporters themselves. Jean-Pierre “fumed” about Kirby’s frequent presence in the briefings, despite it coming at the direction of Biden, believing that it gave “the impression she needed a chaperone,” people familiar with her thinking told Axios. At her final press briefing, Jean-Pierre blocked Kirby from coming and talking about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, sources told the New York Post.
