“I certainly don’t think that the president at any point has done anything but condemn violence, against journalists or anyone else.”

“White House press secretary Sarah [Huckabee] Sanders will leave her position at the end of the month, capping a tumultuous tenure as the President’s chief spokeswoman in which she largely redefined the role,” CNN reported earlier in the week. United States President Donald Trump immediately began pushing the idea of Sanders running for the gubernatorial office in Arkansas, a position currently held by Republican Asa Hutchinson and a post her dad held between 1996 – 2007.

Sanders’ announcement came on the 94th day without a White House briefing. Which is the longest stretch without such a press event since they became a daily televised event over two decades ago.

Sanders Legacy

When speaking to Eliana Johnson at Politico’s “Women Rule” event earlier in the week Sanders stated she wanted to be remembered as being “transparent and honest.” The extended period of refusing to answer reporter questions, including with her numerous documented lies as press secretary reveals an entirely different picture.

The Bulwark details an instance where Sanders lied about President Trump’s violent rhetoric:

One prime example of this came in February, when reports of a foiled domestic terror plot against prominent journalists and Democrats led a reporter to ask Sanders whether the president had any plans to “tone down his rhetoric”—a justifiable question about a man who frequently terms the news media “the enemy of the people,” openly encouraged violence at his campaign rallies, and, once president, celebrated Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte’s assault on the Guardian‘s Ben Jacobs.

Sanders didn’t flinch. “I certainly don’t think that the president at any point has done anything but condemn violence, against journalists or anyone else,” Sanders responded. It was in line with comments she’d made repeatedly in the past: “The president in no way, form, or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence,” she said in June 2017.

PolitiFact’s file on Sanders only includes one ‘Mostly True’ report, with the rest being false or mostly false. Vanity Fair also highlighted some of her more egregious lies throughout her tenure as press secretary, including an infamous tale concerning the FBI:

And, of course, who could forget the time she created an elaborate yarn about how she’d heard from “countless…individuals who work at the FBI who said they were very happy” with Trump’s decision to fire James Comey, in an attempt to make the story that the firing was all about agency morale stick, and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Russia investigation. Which, of course, she admitted was a total lie during her interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. She subsequently doubled down, telling George Stephanopoulos that she only admitted to lying about hearing from “countless” people, before shifting the focus to Comey, who she described as a “disgraced leaker” and a “dirty cop.”

Possible Replacement

“No, I know a lot of people that want it and they’re a lot of great people and sometimes you have so many that it makes it more difficult,” President Trump said on Friday while speaking to reporters, according to CNN. Trump would also call Sanders a “warrior” while continuing to praise her time in the administration. While reporters on location brought up specific names, the President would not give any details on who is under consideration.

While she has not announced her future plans, the Arkansas Republican party states they will welcome any political aspirations she has with open arms.  Her successor as press secretary will be under pressure to resume daily White House briefings but may decide to continue in the same fashion as Sanders ended on her transitioning away from the position.