Rod Blagojevich,often referred to by his nickname "Blago",is an American politician,political commentator,and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. He was impeached,removed from office,convicted,and incarcerated for eight years on federal charges of public corruption. A member of the Democratic Party,Blagojevich previously worked in both the state and federal legislatures. He served as an Illinois state representative from 1993 to 1997,and the U.S. representative from Illinois's 5th district from 1997 to 2003.
Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office.
Bruce Reed is an American political advisor and non-profit administrator who was the president of the Broad Foundation. Prior to assuming that role in December 2013,he served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and as CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). On December 22,2020,it was announced that Reed would serve as a White House deputy chief of staff in the Biden administration,along with Jen O'Malley Dillon.
Anita Dunn is an American political strategist serving as a senior advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden,having originally held the post from January 20,2021,to August 12,2021,and returning May 5,2022.
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4,2008,and became the president-elect. Obama was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15,2008. The results were certified by a joint session of Congress on January 8,2009,and the transition ended when Obama was inaugurated at noon EST on January 20,2009.
The chief of staff to the vice president of the United States is the chief of staff position within the Office of the Vice President,part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The chief of staff has been responsible for overseeing the actions of the vice president's staff,managing the vice president's schedule,and deciding who is allowed to meet with the vice president.
Michael C. Donilon is an American attorney and campaign consultant who is a longtime advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden. He was the chief strategist of Biden's 2020 presidential campaign and currently serves in the same capacity in the 2024 presidential campaign. He was a senior advisor to Biden during the first three years of his presidency. Prior,Donilon was working as a partner at AKPD Message and Media. Between 2009 and 2013,he served as Counselor to Vice President Biden in the Obama administration. Prior to his White House appointment,Donilon worked with the vice-presidential candidate to help him prepare for the debates and also as a traveling advisor.
John F. Harris is an American political aide and former chief of staff to the Governor of Illinois,Rod Blagojevich. He resigned in December 2008 after being charged,along with Blagojevich,with wire fraud.
Louanner Peters is a former deputy governor of Illinois. She was appointed by then-Governor Rod Blagojevich in December 2006,becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position.
John Patrick McCormick,known professionally as John P. McCormick,is a former correspondent for Newsweek and the current editorial page editor for the Chicago Tribune. Before joining the Tribune,he was Newsweek's Midwest correspondent for 18 years. He was the recipient of the American Society of Newspaper Editors' 2002 Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing,for his editorials on the 9/11 terrorist attacks,the Afghanistan War,the "Renaissance of Black Chicago",and efforts to sell naming rights for Soldier Field. In December 2008,he also drew considerable attention for his role in the Rod Blagojevich scandal.
In December 2008,then-Democratic Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. As a result,Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois General Assembly and removed from office by the Illinois Senate in January 2009. The federal investigation continued after his removal from office,and he was indicted on corruption charges in April of that year. The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one charge of making false statements with a mistrial being declared on the other 23 counts due to a hung jury after 14 days of jury deliberation. On June 27,2011,after a retrial,Blagojevich was found guilty of 17 charges,not guilty on one charge and the jury deadlocked after 10 days of deliberation on the two remaining charges. On December 7,2011,Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
A number of controversies related to Rod Blagojevich,formerly the Governor of Illinois,were covered in the press during and after his administration. In addition to a reputation for secrecy that was noted by the Associated Press,Blagojevich was the subject of political,legal,and personal controversies similar to those of his predecessor,Republican Governor George Ryan. To the surprise of many,Blagojevich said in 2008 that he agreed with the idea of commuting Ryan's federal prison sentence.
Senior Advisor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States. White House senior advisors are senior members of the White House Office. The title has been formally used since 1993.
Lisa Oudens Monaco is an American attorney,former federal prosecutor and national security official who has served as the 39th and current United States Deputy Attorney General since April 21,2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Avril Danica Haines is an American lawyer and senior government official who serves as the director of national intelligence in the Biden administration. She is the first woman to serve in this role. Haines previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Obama administration. Prior to her appointment to the CIA,she served as Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs in the Office of White House Counsel.
Brian Mosteller is a diplomat and American operations executive,best known for being the Director of Oval Office Operations in the Obama administration,from 2009 to 2017.
The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) is a unit of the White House Office,within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state,county (or county-equivalent),local,and tribal governments. The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors,tribal leaders,mayors,state legislators,and county executives. The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs works with federal agencies and departments to ensure appropriate coordination between state,local,and tribal governments and the federal government. The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez until she resigned on May 16,2023 to become Biden's Campaign Manager for his 2024 reelection bid. Tom Perez became Director on June 12,2023.
The 2020 presidential campaign of Kamala Harris,a United States senator from California from January 2017 to 2021,officially began on January 21,2019,with an announcement on Good Morning America. Harris had widely been considered a "high profile" candidate for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries since 2016.
Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon is an American political strategist and campaign manager serving as a top leader of Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign. She was a White House deputy chief of staff during Biden's first three years as president,after managing his 2020 presidential campaign. She was the manager of Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign of the same year. She is the first female presidential campaign manager for a winning Democratic ticket.
Julie Chávez Rodriguez is an American political rights activist and campaign manager for President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.
