DailyExpertNews
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White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, the powerful force at the center of Joe Biden’s first two years in office, is expected to step down in the weeks following the president’s State of the Union address, according to multiple celebrities.
Klain’s exact timeline is still not set, the sources said, and he is expected to remain in the West Wing for a while to help with the transition period for his replacement, one of the people said. The State of the Union address is scheduled for February 7.
Klain has long telegraphed that he planned to leave at some point after the midterm elections, noting publicly — and in a more detailed way privately — the grueling and draining nature of the position. But Klain’s ingrained presence in nearly every aspect of the West Wing, along with his decades-long relationship with Biden, had led some White House officials to urge him to stay in the role for an extended period of time.
Still, officials have been quietly weighing up his potential replacements, citing names like Steve Ricchetti, the president’s adviser and one of Biden’s closest advisers for years; Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh; Jeff Zients, the former Obama administration official who led Biden’s Covid-19 response operation; and Anita Dunn, the senior adviser who leads the White House communications and messaging operation, among other things.
Dunn has said publicly she has no desire to serve in the position and has privately echoed that sentiment, officials said, though a friend said Dunn has expressed interest in becoming the first female chief of staff.
Klain’s decision to resign is unrelated to the ongoing investigation into classified documents found in Biden’s private office and Delaware residence, an official familiar with his plans told DailyExpertNews, citing the decision. before special counsel was announced.
The veteran political aide’s tenure was marked by a string of major legislative achievements for the White House, as well as his penchant for tweeting his views on a variety of topics at all hours of the day. Klain emerged as a central figure within the West Wing and a trusted advisor to Biden on decisions big and small.
Klain’s expected decision marks one of the first high-profile departures from an administration that saw low turnover in its first two years.
Biden announced that Klain would take the top job on November 14, 2020, days after the presidential election.
On Friday, Klain commemorated the second anniversary of Biden’s inauguration with a celebratory staff email and cake.
“Today – halfway through this term for the President and Vice President – we celebrate not only WHAT was achieved, but HOW it was achieved: through teamwork, collaboration, mutual respect and a whole lot of hard work. This team has done so many historic things, and did them in a historic way, as part of the most diverse and most talented White House staff ever,” Klain told White House aides in the email obtained by DailyExpertNews. .
Klain pointed to jobs and economic growth, stabilization of the pandemic, climate action, steps to fight racism and promote equality, and efforts to protect democracy in the US and abroad as examples of their successes.
“I’m amazed at what this team has done and how you’ve done it. So this afternoon I’m treating everyone to cake to celebrate our success and all your hard work,” he said in the email.
Klain worked with Biden as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the early 1990s, while the Delaware Democrat served as the panel’s chairman. Two years later, Klain led the team for President Bill Clinton that supervised the confirmation of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
He later became Vice President Al Gore’s chief of staff for the second term, and although he left in 1999 amid feuds between Gore and Clinton allies, he returned to the Tennessee Democrat presidential campaign a year later and became the general advisor for his recount efforts ahead. of what eventually became George W. Bush’s 537-vote victory in Florida in 2000, handing the Republicans the White House.
Klain went on to work as a lobbyist and political consultant and was involved in John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. He reprized his role as Vice President’s Chief of Staff at the start of President Barack Obama’s administration and again worked for Biden.
He left the White House in 2011 to help run an investment firm, but returned in 2014, when Obama appointed him his Ebola Response Coordinator, a skill he used in overseeing the Covid-19 pandemic from the government when Biden took office.
This story and headline have been updated.