With Jack Lew’s likely move from the White House to the Treasury Department, President Obama is reportedly planning to recruit a familiar face from his inner circle to take over as his chief of staff.
Though NBC News has not confirmed the appointment, the Associated Press reports that Denis McDonough, who currently serves as one of Obama’s top national security advisers, is slated to fill in Lew’s shoes after the president nominated his chief of staff to take over as secretary of treasury.
If chosen, McDonough, 43, would be the fifth man to take on the job, following up tenures by high-profile politicos Rahm Emanuel, William Daly, Pete Rouse, and, most recently, Lew.
A mainstay of Obama’s network of close advisers, McDonough has long been at the president’s side during key moments in Obama’s first term. McDonough was notably depicted in the iconic photo of the scene in the White House situation room as the president and his closest advisers oversaw the raid to capture and kill Osama bin Laden.
Amanda Sakuma