Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre left Democratic Party, publisher of her book says

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is calling for people to think beyond the two-party system ahead of her book release that takes a close look at President Biden’s decision not to run for reelection.

According to The Associated Press, Jean-Pierre switched her affiliation to independent after working in two Democratic administrations, according to Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint that will publish "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines" on Oct. 21.

"Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States," Jean-Pierre, the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position of White House press secretary, said in a statement released Wednesday.

"At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country. I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically."

Her book could be one of the few by former White House press secretaries to make news. Scott McLellan, President George W. Bush’s press secretary from 2003-2006, made headlines when he criticized Bush and other administration officials in the 2008 bestseller "What Happened."