Jason Miller
Jason MillerReuters

Jason Miller, an aide to President-elect Donald Trump who was named this week as his White House communications director, told The Hill on Saturday that he would not be taking the job, confirming an earlier report.

Miller explained that he was turning down the job in order to spend more time with his family.

“After spending this week with my family, the most amount of time I have been able to spend with them since March 2015, it is clear they need to be my top priority right now and this is not the right time to start a new job as demanding as White House Communications Director,” Miller said in a statement.

“My wife and I are also excited about the arrival of our second daughter in January, and I need to put them in front of my career,” he added.

Miller said he would stay on through the transition and that Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, would take over his responsibilities as communications director.

The transition announced Spicer and Miller's White House appointments on Thursday, with Trump aides Hope Hicks and Dan Scavino also named to top communications posts.

Miller served as Trump's senior communications adviser during the election campaign and throughout the transition.

Earlier this week, Trump named his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway as Counselor to the President, succeeding Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, who retired as Counselor to President Obama ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Conway, who has aided the Trump transition team since the November 8 election, was widely credited with charting the Republican ticket’s path to victory after joining the team in August.

In recent days, Trump has also appointed former Fox News journalist Monica Crowley as senior director of strategic communications for the National Security Council.