Joe Biden to select Jeff Zients as next chief of staff

US President Joe Biden is to select his former COVID policy coordinator Jeff Zients as his new chief of staff, US media reported.

Biden's current chief of staff Ron Klain held the position for two years.

Klain plans to leave the position in the coming weeks but will continue in the role until Zients eases into it.

Who is Jeff Zients?

For most of his career to date, Zients has been in the private sector. He, however, has held important advisory roles in the White House.

As the COVID policy coordinator, Zients counseled Biden from January 2021 to April 2022 regarding the management of the pandemic.

He was also managing the vaccination drive in the United States.

After working as COVID-19 response coordinator, Zients returned to the White House and took up a low-profile position that concerns matters such as staffing.

When Biden was serving as the vice president to Barack Obama, Zients served as the economic adviser to Obama.

The official announcement of Biden's decision is expected on Monday.

Zients' anticipated appointment was first reported by The Washington Post.

The White House has yet to publicly comment.

Timing of Zient's appointment

The shuffle at the top commanding position comes at a time when the White House is mired in a controversy involving the mishandling of classified documents.

Biden is facing a probe over the discovery of classified government records at his Wilmington, Delaware residence and at his former institute in Washington.

Zients' return to the White House could prove critical for Biden, who is intending to run for reelection and is preparing to launch his reelection campaign and to seek a second four-year term in 2024.

mf/ar (Reuters, AP, dpa)