Communications Changes at the RNC

New RNC Senior Advisor ALEX CASTELLANOS

Trevor Francis, the communications director at the Republican National Committee, is leaving his post and his departure suggests some level of turmoil within the GOP's chief campaign committee.

Steele's tendency to freelance makes him difficult to manage from a press perspective and, according to sources familiar with Francis's departure, that tension was part of the reason he decided to step aside

One Steele ally says there were frustrations from the chairman and his inner circle about the botched rollout of the RNC's new website — and the blog therein briefly named "What Up?" — as well as concerns that some media inquiries were being ignored, including from African-American outlets.

The collective sense expressed by GOP operatives in the anti-Steele camp is that he is as consumed with winning personal accolades as he is with rebuilding the party and defeating Democrats.

Alex Castellanos, a Republican media consultant, will take over as a senior communications adviser to RNC Chairman Michael Steele, according to a source familiar with the move. Castellanos, in an email to the Huffington Post, said reports of his RNC gig were overstated. He is "not replacing anyone" at the committee, "just helping out... as a senior advisor."

"Few things in life are permanent but I'm permanently a Republican," Castellanos said, when asked if the RNC post was long-term. "And [I'm] happy to serve as a senior advisor to the chairman whenever he asks."

Castellanos will continue to serve as an on-air personality for CNN despite taking on the consulting role. While the RNC gig may simply consist of a consulting gig, it could have major ramifications when placed in the context of the frantic debate over the future of the Republican Party. Castellanos just recently slammed two major GOP officials: Florida governor and U.S. senatorial candidate Charlie Crist and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Moreover, he has established a firm reputation for favoring highly personal political attacks -- a trait he seems likely to bring to an RNC desperate to produce major electoral gains in the 2010 elections.

Sources: The Fix Blog, Washington Post; Huffington Post