Ron Klain to Step Down as White House Chief of Staff After Biden’s State of the Union Address

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is expected to depart the Biden administration in the coming weeks, according to two sources familiar with the decision. Klain, who has been a powerful force at the center of President Joe Biden’s first two years in office, is expected to step down in the weeks after the president’s State of the Union address, the sources said.

Klain’s exact timeline is still not set, the sources said, and he is expected to stay in the West Wing for a period of time to help with the transition period for his replacement. As the first departure among a stable core of senior advisers closest to the president, Klain’s exit is likely the first domino in a series of staffing moves to come.

Klain’s departure comes at a difficult time for Biden, with a special counsel investigating his handling of classified information after his time as vice president and with the administration and the president’s family facing renewed scrutiny by the GOP-controlled US House of Representatives.

Klain has been a key figure in Biden’s inner circle since the president took office in January 2021. He has been credited with helping to manage the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as helping to shepherd Biden’s legislative agenda through Congress. It is not yet clear who will replace Klain as White House Chief of Staff.