Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card, Jr. told The Crimson today that he resigned last year from the Bush administration in part because "the president needed for me to leave, and the administration needed to have me leave."

"I think they needed to demonstrate change, and I don't think you can have a change without it being personified," Card said in a brief interview at the Kennedy School of Government.

Card's remarks appear to contradict the official explanation given by President George W. Bush for Card's March 2006 resignation.

"I'm not saying the people in America knew who Andy Card was—but I do think the people of America knew that there was a chief of staff, so if you change a chief of staff, you must be changing things," said Card, who is in Cambridge for a dinner at the Institute of Politics.

When Card resigned on March 28, 2006, Bush said his former chief of staff had taken the initiative in leaving his post, and that the departure was not motivated by politics.

"Andy Card came to me and raised the possibility of stepping down as chief of staff," Bush said at the time. "After five-and-a-half years, he thought it might be time to return to private life."

—Staff writer Abe J. Riseman can be reached at riesman@fas.harvard.edu.
—Check thecrimson.com for updates.