Chevy Chase Resident Is Biden's Pick For Chief Of Staff

BETHESDA, MD — Ron Klain, a Chevy Chase resident and longtime aide to President-elect Joe Biden, has been chosen as the White House chief of staff.

The veteran Democratic operative is the first senior staff appointment Biden has made since his election win last week. It's one of the most powerful positions in the White House.

Klain, 59, had previously served as chief of staff for Al Gore in the 1990s and for Biden during President Barack Obama's first term. In 2014, he was appointed as the Obama administration's Ebola czar.

In a statement on Wednesday, Biden praised Klain for his decades of work as a public servant and said his ability "to work with people all across the political spectrum" makes him a good fit for the job.

"His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again," Biden said.

In his own statement released the same day, Klain called the appointment "an honor of a lifetime."

"It's the honor of a lifetime to serve President-elect Biden in this role, and I am humbled by his confidence," he said. "I look forward to helping him and the Vice President-elect assemble a talented and diverse team to work in the White House."