AP is reporting that President Barack Obama has selected former Commerce Secretary William Daley as his Chief of Staff, replacing Interim Chief of Staff Pete Rouse. The spot had been vacated late last year when former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel left his position to run for Mayor of Chicago.
While no formal announcement has yet been made, Politico’s Mike Allen reported earlier this morning that an announcement was imminent, citing an anonymous source “This is just about done. Staff is being deferential to Pete, but he is totally on board with this plan and is looking forward to getting his old office back.”
Who is Bill Daley? He has recently been the Midwest chairman of JPMorgan Chase and current Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s brother. Nick Wing at Huffington Post claims that there has been some questions on the progressive side of the political spectrum on Mr. Daley, writing that Daley “raised some eyebrows this week when prior comments were uncovered suggesting he was an opponent of two landmark Obama administration initiatives — health care reform and consumer protection.”
Not only does Mr. Daley have deep roots in Obama’s home city of Chicago, but he’s thought to have a very strong pro-business point of view, evidenced by his previous role as Commerce Secretary under President Clinton.
