Washington (CNN) A top White House communications aide who has worked most closely with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump is leaving the White House in the coming months.



Josh Raffel, who was recruited to the White House by Kushner, has primarily served as a spokesman for Ivanka Trump and Kushner's White House initiatives, including the Office of American Innovation and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A White House official said in an email that Raffel had been quietly promoted to deputy communications director in the fall of 2017.

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: (L-R) Josh Raffel, Jared Kushner and Matthew Hiltzik attend The New York Observer 25th Anniversary at Four Seasons Restaurant on March 14, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

"Josh is honest, passionate and thoughtful. Whether it was offering strategic guidance on the communications for tax reform or a foreign trip, Josh's guidance was invaluable. The White House won't be the same without him," Ivanka Trump said in a statement.

The official said Raffel will leave within the next two months. The official said he is returning to work in the private sector in New York, where he has "family obligations."

Before joining the White House, Raffel headed up communications at Blumhouse Productions and previously represented Kushner through the public relations firm Hiltzik Strategies, where he was previously employed.

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