Indian American to lead communications for new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Raj Shah, a top GOP communications leader and later senior vice president at Fox, has been appointed the Chief Spokesperson for Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Politico reported October 31, 2023.

Shah’s job also includes having to “help run messaging for House Republicans,” as a whole, the news report said.

In January 2019, then Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump, Shah, quit the White House to join a lobbying firm, the Ballard Media Group. Among other things, Shah oversaw strategy and communications for the White House’s successful efforts to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prior to coming to the White House, Shah was the communications director at the Republican National Committee and the author of a white paper on how to defeat Hillary Clinton.

In an interview with News India Times in 2016, soon after President Trump announced his appointment, Shah told this correspondent he was “thrilled” and “humbled” to be at the White House. (https://www.newsindiatimes.com/thrilled-and-humbled-raj-shah-president-elect-trumps-new-deputy-assistant/22980)

As the White House principal deputy press secretary, Shah frequently briefed the press, handled crisis communications and policy rollouts, and took a leading role in preparing the President and senior officials for media appearances.

In his 2015 interview with News India Times, Shah spoke of his family and his journey in politics.

Born and brought up in an apolitical and religious Jain family of Democrats in Connecticut, Shah said then that 9/11 changed the trajectory of his future. (See previous article at https://www.newsindiatimes.com/hillarys-nemesis-raj-shah-heads-gops-opposition-research/14094)

“I was politically apathetic but that got me interested in geopolitical issues and domestic politics. After 9/11, I was reading everything I could get my hands on,” and admitted he had become somewhat of a junkie and loves the world of political strategy and tactics