{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2023/11/sen-lee-welcomes-new-chief-of-staff", "Sen. Lee Welcomes New Chief of Staff", "2023-11-14", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", "mikelee", "https://www.lee.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) announced a transition in his senior staff today.\n\nChief of Staff Allyson Bell will be taking on a new role as senior advisor to Senator Lee, continuing to support his initiatives and policy goals in Utah. Bell's leadership and dedication have been instrumental in advancing the Senator's legislative priorities and constituent services for eight years.\n\nMark Wait, who previously served as deputy chief of staff, will assume the role of chief of staff, bringing a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the senator's vision and policy objectives. His appointment represents a commitment to maintaining strong leadership and advancing a conservative agenda to help Utah families and defend the Constitution.\n\nSenator Lee expressed his deep gratitude to Allyson Bell, stating \"Allyson has been a cornerstone of our team, providing exceptional leadership and insight as chief of staff over the last eight years. Her contributions are invaluable, and she\u2019ll be missed in Washington, but I\u2019m thrilled that she\u2019ll continue to help guide our efforts in Utah.\"\n\n\u201cWorking alongside Senator Lee and our dedicated team has been a privilege, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together,\u201d said Allyson Bell. \u201cThe best part of the job has been all the Utahns I\u2019ve met in Washington DC and throughout the State. I look forward to still being a part of Senator Lee\u2019s efforts on behalf of the people of Utah and want to thank him for the opportunity of a lifetime \u2013 serving as his chief of staff for eight years.\u201d\n\nRegarding Mark Wait's new role, Senator Lee said, \"Mark is a proven leader with a clear vision for the future. His expertise and commitment to our state and its people make him the ideal choice to helm our team. I\u2019m confident that with Mark's guidance, we\u2019ll achieve new heights in serving Utahns and addressing the critical issues facing our nation.\"\n\nThese staff changes will go into effect on November 27th. Senator Lee and his team are dedicated to serving Utah's people and ensuring their voices are heard in Congress.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2023/11/sen-lee-welcomes-new-chief-of-staff"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.705165185034275, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}