White House chief of staff Ron Klain plans to resign

President Biden’s powerhouse chief of staff Ron Klain is expected to resign in the coming weeks.

Klain, 61, has worked with Biden on-and-off for decades. He plans to stay on as chief of staff at least through the State of the Union on Feb. 7, the Washington Post reported.

The veteran Democratic operative was a crucial behind-the-scenes negotiator during Biden’s first two years in office.

“His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again,” Biden said when he hired Klain.

The Biden administration has proven remarkably stable over its first two years, with relatively few departures. Klain is the longest-serving first chief of staff of any Democratic president, according to Politico.

Klain’s potential successors include Steve Richetti, counselor to the president; Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; ex-White House COVID czar Jeff Zients; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; and Anita Dunn, a White House senior adviser. Dunn has publicly said she has no interest in the job.

Klain was known for working 16-hour days and sending a relentless stream of tweets celebrating the administration’s successes and poking its critics.

He was Biden’s chief of staff for his first two years as vice president, between 2009-2011. He also coordinated the Obama White House’s Ebola response in 2014 and 2015.

With News Wire Services