White House chief of staff Ron Klain expected to step down: sources

Nandita Bose, Steve Holland

Updated: Jan 21, 2023 / 01:55 PM CST

FILE – White House chief of staff Ron Klain walks to the South Lawn of the White House to attend an event in Washington, April 8, 2022. President Joe Biden’s chief of staff violated the law by retweeting a political message on his official Twitter account, but no disciplinary action will be pursued and a warning letter was sent to him, according to a memo from the Office of Special Counsel. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

(Reuters) – 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.