Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain is rumored to be leaving after the 2022 midterm elections: report
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- White House chief of staff Ron Klain is rumored to be leaving after the midterms, NBC News reports.
- Klain, a longtime Democratic political operative, has been a part of Biden's inner circle for years.
- Potential successors to Klain include Anita Dunn, Steve Ricchetti, and Susan Rice.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain, a veteran Democratic hand in Washington, is rumored to be leaving the Biden administration after the 2022 midterm elections, according to NBC News.
Citing multiple sources who spoke anonymously, NBC reports that one person heard Klain speaking of his potential departure. Klain worked as President Barack Obama's White House Ebola response coordinator and also previously served as chief of staff to former vice president Al Gore. He also was chief of staff to then-Vice President Joe Biden during the first two years of the Obama administration.
If Klain leaves his role in the Biden White House, which he has held since the start of the administration, potential successors include Anita Dunn, who rejoined the White House earlier this month and has been part of the president's inner circle for years.
Dunn, who previously served in the White House as a senior advisor from January 2021 to August 2021, is back at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in a senior advisory role.
In April, The Washington Post reported that Dunn would be involved in the administration's response to potential investigations if the GOP regains control of one or more chambers of Congress this fall, but she was not set to be exclusively dealing with such matters.
Other individuals thought to be under consideration include White House counselor Steve Ricchetti and White House domestic policy director Susan Rice.
After narrowly losing the Virginia gubernatorial election last year, former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe reportedly spoke with the White House about the chief of staff position, or as part of the Cabinet, according to NBC News report.
Neither Klain or Dunn responded to NBC regarding their original report.
However, senior White House communications advisor Remi Yamamoto brushed aside the Klain rumor and said that he has not laid out any immediate plans regarding a potential departure.
"As Ron has said publicly, he has not set a time frame, and this is not a discussion on the top of anyone's mind here," she said in a statement to NBC.