Jay Carney To Apple? Reports And Rumors On Former Obama Spokesman’s Future

Reports from two prominent news organizations have former Obama administration spokesman Jay Carney going anywhere from Apple to becoming a cable news pundit following his departure from the White House earlier this summer.

The most recent Jay Carney rumor comes from Bloomberg, where reporter Jonathan Allen said the former Obama spokesman was in talks to join technology giant Apple:

“Apple Inc. (AAPL) has talked with former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney about a public relations job, a friend of his said.

“Carney hasn’t made up his mind, according to the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private and no agreement has been reached.

“Carney declined to specify whether he’s talking to Apple or any other specific company. “I’m talking to a lot of different people about a variety of potential opportunities,” he said in an e-mail today.”

The report from Bloomberg‘s Allen comes just three days after POLITICO reported its own slate of Jay Carney rumors, confirming that Carney had signed on with the Washington Speakers Bureau to start giving paid speeches as a way to cash in on his political celebrity as the public face of the world’s most powerful leader for more than three years.

The POLITICO article said Carney could rake in as much as $100,000 per speech in the near future, noting that his fees will likely fall the further he becomes from his time as press secretary.

Other Jay Carney rumors cited in the article mentioned the possibility of West Coast tech companies, though the go-to source for Washington political news and rumors said working with Apple was less likely considering Carney’s roots in the D.C. and northern Virginia region and the fact that he and wife Clarie Shipman — an ABC News reporter — have small children who are still in school in the area.

The website said a more likely option for Carney would be to join one of the cable news networks, especially since his most recent position before joining the Obama administration as Vice President Joe Biden’s communications director in 2009 was as TIME Magazine‘s Washington Bureau Chief.

“Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, a CNN and ABC News contributor, said that Carney’s next steps will be an outgrowth of his professional achievements.

“‘Jay had a great career in journalism before transitioning to the White House. Whatever he decides to do, I am sure it will keep him in the spotlight,’ she wrote in an email. ‘Honestly, former athletes become sports analyst. Now, Jay can pick up where his career was leading him.'”

With Carney not confirming his next moves to Bloomberg and POLITICO being full of rumors about his next move, only time will tell what he ultimately decides to do with his new-found free time.

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]