President-elect Joe Biden has named his long-time aide, Ron Klain, as the next Chief of Staff in the White House. The transition office of Biden made the announcement on Wednesday in a press release. Ron Klain will be holding one of the most coveted positions in the White House after Biden is sworn in, according to the news release.
There has been a long-standing history between the two men. Klain was chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore, Bill Clinton’s Vice President, and served as chief of staff to Biden when he was appointed as Barack Obama’s VP. He was also in the inner circle of Biden’s most trusted advisers during his campaign in the just-ended election cycle.
“Ron has been a big part of my journey as a politician over the years, we worked together while we saved the American economy in 2009 during one of the worst economic downturns and also worked together while trying to combat a difficult public health care emergency in 2014,” Biden stated.
The president-elect also described Klain as an experienced and capable politician who can operate in different capacities and work with all types of people without problems. He explained that these qualities of Klain prompted his appointment since the country needs such chief of staff to combat the coronavirus crisis and unite the nation.
Klain also released a statement on Wednesday to acknowledge the position which he described as “the honor of a lifetime.”
“I look forward to working with the President-elect and the Vice President-elect to put together a team of diverse and competent people who will work in the White House to help realize their ambitious drive to bring change and unite our presently divided nation,” Klain stated.
He also took to Twitter to acknowledge the kind wishes of Americans and pledged to give his best as the chief of staff in assembling and leading a competent, talented, and diverse team under the administration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Many platforms had predicted the appointment as a result of Klain’s experience with working with infectious diseases. He was appointed to lead a team to handle the Ebola crisis in 2014 under former President Barack Obama. He was also one of the prominent faces of the president-elect’s team’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Klain is an alumnus of Harvard Law School which he graduated from in 1987. He worked as a law clerk to Justice Byron R. White of the Supreme Court. Biden later appointed him to serve as lead counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee between 1989 and 1992.
He has helped Democrat presidential candidates since Bill Clinton prepare for their presidential debates. Biden named him his chief of staff in 2008 during the first tenure of Obama and Biden.
Source: washingtonpost.com
