White House chief of staff Ron Klain will step down from his role next week and be replaced by Jeff Zients, a former Obama administration official who spearheaded Biden’s coronavirus response team.
Klain announced the decision in a letter of resignation on Jan. 27. President Joe Biden confirmed the news in a statement.
Klain told White House officials that he will depart after Biden’s State of the Union address on Feb. 7.
The 61-year-old Indianapolis native became the White House chief of staff in January 2021. He served in that role for Al Gore and Biden when they were vice presidents.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the U.S. economy at Steamfitters Local 602 in Springfield, Va., on Jan. 26, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“I’ve known Ron Klain since he was a third-year law student. He came to work for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I knew the moment he started that he was a once-in-a-generation talent with a fierce and brilliant intellect. Just as important, he has a really big heart,” Biden wrote in a statement….