Former White House Press Sec Jay Carney heads to CNN

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Jay Carney is returning to his roots.

The former White House press secretary will be joining CNN as a political commentator starting this week. Carney, who stepped down as President Barack Obama's chief spokesman in June, will make his first appearance on the network Wednesday night, as part of coverage of Obama's statement to address the extremist Islamic State.

"I'm thrilled to be joining CNN at a time when there is so much happening in the nation and the world," Carney said in a statement.

The move is a return to form for Carney, who started his career as a reporter at the Miami Herald in 1987. He spent 20 years working for Time Magazine in Miami, Moscow and in Washington, where he served as bureau chief from 2005 to 2008.

He was also a regular contributor to ABC News' This Week With George Stephanopoulos.

Carney was tapped to serve as then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden's director of communications in December 2008, and succeeded Robert Gibbs as White House press secretary in January 2011.

"Jay's unique experience as both a journalist and a White House press secretary make him an invaluable voice for the network as we cover the final two years of the Obama administration and look ahead to the coming campaigns," said CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist in a statement. "We're fortunate to have Jay on our air tonight to provide analysis and insight surrounding the President's address to the nation."

His predecessor, Gibbs, is a contributor at MSNBC, and George W. Bush press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Tony Snow have also appeared as CNN contributors. Dana Perino, a Bush press secretary, is a co-host on the Fox News program The Five.