WASHINGTON—President Biden is headed for a critical new phase as he faces his former coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey D. Zientz as he faces the Republican House of Representatives and is expected to launch a re-election campaign for the next White House. House will be nominated as Chief of Staff. People familiar with the decision said on Sunday.
Zientz, who will succeed Ron Klein, who has run Biden’s White House since taking office two years ago, is preparing to step down after his State of the Union address on Feb. 7. There will be other personnel changes in the coming weeks and months as the White House gears up for his 2024 election.
An entrepreneur and management consultant who organized the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history, Mr. Zientz is widely respected in Biden circles as a strong and capable technocratic leader, but the typical Chief of Staff faces a political rematch. have very little experience. -selection. His choice suggests the president may rely on Mr. Zientz to help run the government, while other advisers focus on the politics of winning a second term.
Several other politically experienced advisers, including senior adviser to the president, Anita Dunn, are expected to take over some of the duties assigned to Mr Klein. White House Counselor Stephen J. Ricketty. Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer O’Malley Dillon. It is not clear whether the transfer of responsibilities will be formally announced or will be a more informal understanding.
The election, previously reported by The Washington Post, wasn’t all that surprising, government officials said. After stepping down as COVID-19 coordinator last spring, Zientz remains in presidential orbit and could serve as officials retire or shift toward re-election later in Biden’s term. I was looking for potential staff. .
Mr. Zients has long been trusted to oversee key personnel decisions. He’s the one who contacted President Barack Obama’s former White House communications director, Jen Psaki, and suggested she serve as his press secretary in the Biden administration.
Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a Biden aide, said Sunday that he would not comment on whether Mr. Zientz was hired, but praised Mr. Zientz’s skills. “He has a lot of the same kinds of skills and talents that made Ron Crane successful,” Coons said.
With many of his advisers focused on his prospective re-election campaign and political struggle with Republicans in the House, Mr. Zientz is the best choice at a time when aides expect it will be a difficult time inside the White House. was thought to be A person familiar with the decision.
He plans to take over when a new special counsel is appointed to investigate the mishandling of classified documents found in Biden’s personal office and home in Wilmington, Delaware. At the invitation of Mr. Biden’s lawyers, the FBI searched the president’s home in Wilmington for nearly 13 hours on Friday and found six more items marked as classified.
