Politico is reporting that Washington Post White House correspondent Peter Baker is leaving the paper for the NYT's magazine, following his wife, Susan Glasser's removal a few weeks ago.

The departure, considered by some to be a "blow" that would "deeply hurt the paper," comes amidst a wide-scale buyout that is underway at WaPo. While the NYT's has apparently been courting Baker for a while, the "most likely reason for Baker's departure has to do with management's treatment of his wife." During his tenure at the Post Baker covered the Clinton White House, was embedded with the Marines in Iraq and served as Moscow bureau chief. An official announcement is expected from the Times sometime today.

UPDATE: It's official. FishbowlDC has the official letters of transfer here and here.