BY VOA NEWS – Obama administration officials say the president has chosen former Commerce Secretary William Daley to be his new chief of staff.
President Barack Obama is making major changes to his team to prepare for work with the new Congress and his 2012 re-election bid.
Administration officials told news outlets about the chief of staff selection Thursday on condition of anonymity.
Obama is expected to make a personnel announcement later in the day. News reports say it is likely to be the naming of Daley.
The bank executive would replace Pete Rouse, who has been the interim chief of staff since Rahm Emanuel left the post last year to run for mayor of the city of Chicago.
The chief of staff holds a critical job in the U.S. government, serving as a key adviser to the president and leading White House efforts to carry out his agenda.
The 62-year-old Daley was commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and is currently an executive at financial firm JP Morgan Chase.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.