(CNN) On Sunday night, the White House sent out its daily schedule -- as it does every day. Except, one thing was different: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, rather than her ostensible boss, Sean Spicer, would be giving the daily press briefing on Monday.

The White House sought to play the substitution as a nothing-burger -- noting that past administrations had used their deputies to fill in as daily briefers when necessary.

Which, like many things that come out of this administration, has a touch of truth to it but is not, technically, true. Deputy press secretaries in the past have filled in when the principal press secretary is otherwise occupied -- as Sanders did when Spicer was on naval reserve duty recently.

But Spicer was in the White House on Monday -- as Sanders confirmed. She added that Spicer is "taking on extra duties" since the White House doesn't have a communications director. ( Mike Dubke resigned last week.

So. Many. Questions. Is Spicer the de facto communications director now? If so, why didn't the White House say anything about it prior to Sanders backing into a kind of, sort of announcement at the podium today? If not, then why is Sanders saying it?

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