Libby Casey, APRN – Washington DC
A member of President Obama’s inner circle with connections to Alaska is expected to take one of the White House’s top jobs on Friday. Pete Rouse is likely to be tapped by the president to serve as his interim chief-of-staff, when Rahm Emmanuel officially steps down tomorrow.
The White House hasn’t confirmed the switch, but Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters today that the President will make a personnel announcement tomorrow, and then Gibbs praised Pete Rouse specifically.
Rouse has Alaska roots: his mother grew up in Anchorage, and in the late 1970s Rouse left his home on the East Coast to journey to Alaska and work for Lieutenant Governor Terry Miller, a Republican who served with Governor Jay Hammond. Rouse held that job for four years until 1983, when he moved to Washington, DC. He became chief of staff for South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle who rose to be leader of Senate Democrats. When Daschle left office Rouse went to work for then Senator-Obama as chief-of-staff, and moved with Obama over to the White House to serve as a senior advisor.
Senator Mark Begich praised the expected promotion of Rouse to White House chief of staff in a press release today. He called Rouse “soft spoken and down to earth” while at the same time an effective political operator.
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