Karine Jean-Pierre leaves Democratic Party after serving in 'broken White House'

Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has left the Democratic Party and is now an independent, according to a press release announcing her new book, "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines."

NOTE: The video is from a previous report.

The release from Legacy Lit, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, said Jean-Pierre has chosen to "look beyond party lines" and is embracing "life as an independent," a decision it indicated she did not come to lightly.

Jean-Pierre, who served in the Biden administration, is somewhat vague about why she no longer identifies as a Democrat, writing that she feels the current political moment necessitates "freeing ourselves of boxes."

"Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States," Jean-Pierre said in a statement on 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."

Jean-Pierre became White House press secretary on May 13, 2022, after Jen Psaki left the role, and she served in that role through the end of former President Joe Biden's term, also becoming senior adviser to the president.

She was the first Black woman and openly gay person in the position, and she worked in positions under former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris as well.

Her departure from the Democratic Party comes as the party looks to regain momentum following 2024 election losses.

"I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes," she said in the release. "We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically. We need to be clear-eyed and questioning, rather than blindly loyal and obedient as we may have been in the past."

"Freeing ourselves of boxes is truly at the heart and soul of my new book, Independent," she added.

Still, Jean-Pierre faced criticism in the lead-up to Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election amid questions about his health and ability to serve in office for another term.

Publishers say that in the book, Jean-Pierre will provide a closer look into the White House as Biden stepped off the 2024 ticket due to "the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision."

The book is set to come out on Oct. 21, nearly a year after the 2024 presidential election.