Biden picks Zients as his next White House chief of staff

By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced Jeff Zients as his next White House chief of staff, tapping an experienced technocrat who headed his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move came Friday as the Democratic president prepares for a reelection bid while facing investigations from a newly empowered House Republican majority. Zients succeeds Ron Klain, who led the White House through highs like passage of a massive infrastructure bill and the Democrats’ climate, health care and tax law and lows including the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Biden says Zients, like Klain, “understands what it means to lead a team” and “is as focused on getting things done.”