RNC says national spokesman ‘no longer works’ for party

Paris Dennard, a conservative commentator and onetime surrogate for former President Trump, is out at the Republican National Committee (RNC). 

Dennard had been serving as a national spokesperson and director of Black media affairs for the RNC since March 2020. In a statement, RNC chief of staff Mike Reed confirmed that Dennard was no longer working for the party, but did not provide any details on the situation.

“Paris Dennard no longer works for the RNC,” Reed said. “We don’t comment on personnel matters.” 

Politico reported on Friday that Dennard had been fired from his role at the RNC, though the circumstances surrounding his exit from the committee are unclear.

Dennard worked at the White House under former President George W. Bush, but built a public profile as an on-air defender and ally of Trump. He was named to Trump’s commission on White House Fellowships in 2018 and eventually served on the advisory board for Black Voices for Trump during the former president’s 2020 reelection campaign. 

Dennard also worked for a time as an on-air political commentator for CNN, but was suspended from that role in 2018 after The Washington Post reported that he had been fired from a previous job at Arizona State University amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Dennard has denied the allegations against him, saying they were “politically motivated.”