If former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre thought she would set off a five-alarm fire among top Democrats by leaving the party, she is about to be sorely disappointed.

Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers who spoke to Axios characterized her personal motives as too transparent to be a knock on the party — and they don't exactly feel like they're losing their best messenger either.

- "Who cares," exclaimed one House Democrat. "It's easy for paid operatives to leave the party ... until they need something."

- Said another: "Her explanation for this move is as confusing and disjointed as her answers in her White House press briefings."
Jean-Pierre did not respond to a request for comment.

Driving the news: Jean-Pierre revealed Wednesday that she is becoming an independent after serving in two Democratic presidential administrations.

- The announcement coincides with the release of a new book, "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines."

- The book's description decries "blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system" and promises to delve into "the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision."