Joe Biden recalls Ron Klain as chief of staff

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen longtime adviser Ron Klain as Chief of Staff again, installing an associate with decades of experience in that senior position in his White House.

Klain will run a presidential residence that will likely focus much of his energy on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to spread nationwide, and will face the challenge of working with a divided Congress that could include a Republican-controlled Senate. Klain was the Ebola response coordinator during the 2014 outbreak.

In a statement released Wednesday night, Biden hinted that he chose Klain for the job because his long experience in Washington prepared him for these kinds of challenges.

“His deep and varied experience and ability to work with people across the political spectrum is exactly what I need in a White House chief of staff as we tackle this time of crisis and bring our country together,” Biden said. . .

Klain was Biden’s chief of staff during President Barack Obama’s first term; He was Vice President Al Gore’s chief of staff in the mid-1990s and was a crucial adviser on Biden’s campaign team, spearheading the candidate’s preparations for debates and his coronavirus response. He is known and worked with Biden when the Democrat sought his party’s presidential nomination in 1987.

Klain’s appointment underscores the effort the upcoming Biden administration will make to respond to the coronavirus from day one. Klain has public health experience as an Ebola response coordinator and played a central role in developing and implementing Obama’s economic recovery plan in 2009.

“I am honored with the confidence of the president-elect and will do my best to lead a talented and diverse team at the Biden and Harris White House,” tweeted Klain.

Klain’s choice will also likely allay fears among some progressives who are preparing to fight for one of the first and most important appointments Biden will make when he joins his White House team. The chief of staff often regulates who has access to the president, develops political and legislative strategies, and is often in contact with the Capitol in negotiations in Congress.

AP