The White House cabinet shuffle continues this morning.
Just hours after we learned that President Obama decided to nominate his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to replace Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary, we learned that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis submitted her resignation to the White House. The resignation was notable in light of the criticism the president is receiving for a lack of diversity among his senior staff, as highlighted in this New York Times cover story.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the issue by NBC’s Chuck Todd yesterday, and responded by naming a list of women who advise the president. The White House also announced that Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will remain in the president’s cabinet into his second term. Notably, all three are examples of diversity in the president’s senior staff.
Comings and goings during the transition between first and second terms are standard for any re-elected president. But after an election where Republican nominee Governor Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” gaffe became a major storyline and Twitter meme (#BindersFullOfWomen), the criticism may be a bit of a headache for the administration. We’ll have the latest on the president’s picks when we see you at noon ET on NOW.
PANEL
David Corn, Washington Bureau Chief, Mother Jones (@davidcorndc)
Wes Moore, Author, “The Other Wes Moore”/Retired Army Captain (@wesmoore1)
Rana Foroohar, Assistant Managing Editor, TIME (@ranaforoohar)
Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg View/msnbc Political Analyst (@jonathanalter)
GUEST
Matt Taibbi, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone (@mtaibbi)
Dax Tejera