Kellyanne Conway to leave Trump White House team at end of month

The White house adviser Kellyanne Conway has announced she will be leaving the administration of President Donald Trump at the end of August, citing the need to focus on her family.

Conway, Trump’s campaign manager during the 2016 race, was the first woman to successfully steer a White House bid, then became a senior counsellor to the US president. She informed Trump of her decision in the Oval Office on Sunday.

“I will be transitioning from the White House at the end of this month,” she said in a statement posted on social media.

“Our four children are teens and tweens starting a new academic year, in middle school and high school, remotely from home for at least a few months,” she said.

“As millions of parents nationwide know, kids ‘doing school from home’ requires a level of attention and vigilance that is as unusual as these times.

“This is completely my choice and my voice. In time, I will announce future plans. For now, and for my beloved children, it will be less drama, more mama.”

Conway worked for years as a Republican pollster and operative and originally supported Senator Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican primary.

She moved over to the Trump campaign and that August became campaign manager as Steve Bannon became campaign chairman; Bannon was indicted two days ago for fraud.

Her husband, George Conway, has also announced he is stepping down from his role at the Lincoln Project, which is working to defeat Trump in November.