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White House chief of staff Klain expected to leave in weeks -sources

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2023-01-21T19:44:58Z

Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s White House chief of staff, plans to leave his post in the coming weeks, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday, in a major changing of the guard.

Klain has informed Biden of his plans, the sources said, confirming a New York Times story that said the long-serving aide would likely depart after the president’s State of the Union address on Feb. 7.

The 61-year-old Klain has a long history at the White House, having served as chief of staff to former Vice President Al Gore and to Biden when he was vice president under President Barack Obama.

His departure is coming as Biden prepares to declare his intention to seek a second four-year term in 2024, an announcement anticipated after the State of the Union address.

The Times cited a lengthy list of possible successors to Klain: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell; Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn, counselor to the president Steve Richetti, former pandemic coordinator Jeff Zients and domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The news broke as Biden spent the weekend at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home.

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Ron Klain attends a meeting at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington October 22, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain as Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm looks on as he arrives for a meeting with cabinet officials, governors, and private sector partners to discuss preparedness of Western states to heat, drought and wildfires this season, at the White House in Washington, U.S. June 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo