Rahm Eyes Future Return to Congress

(NEWSER) - Rahm Emanuel’s transformation from Congressman to White House chief of staff is almost complete, the Chicago Tribune reports. Emanuel sent a letter to Gov. Rod Blagojevich today stating his intention to resign his seat on Friday. Blagojevich has no power to appoint Emanuel’s successor; rather, he has 5 days to set a date for a special election, which must occur within 115 days of the creation of the vacancy. More»

Obama to announce chief of staff shuffle tomorrow

(NEWSER) - Washington's worst-kept secret is that much closer to being official: The AP quotes two anonymous sources saying that Rahm Emanuel will resign tomorrow to run for mayor of Chicago. President Obama will give him a White House sendoff and announce that senior adviser Pete Rouse will permanently replace him as chief of staff, reports the New York Times . Rouse has been an Obama adviser since the president first came to town 6 years ago as senator. More»

Chief of Staff planning to move family to DC

(NEWSER) - Rahm Emanuel is not happy about the report that he’s leaving the White House after the midterm elections. “This is BS. And if you need it for translation, it is baseless,” the White House chief of staff said in a statement today. Rumors have circulated that Emanuel might leave for family reasons, but sources tell Politics Daily he’s now making plans to move his family to DC. More»

No one's happy with his job

(NEWSER) - White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is expected to quit later this year after growing weary of the "idealism" of Obama staffers who are just as frustrated with him, according to sources. He'll likely step down after midterm elections, reports the Telegraph . Emanuel still maintains a good relationship with the president, but his rapport with staffers is fatally frayed, sources said. "Nobody thinks it's working but they can't get rid of him—that would look awful," said a source. More»

As big ticket failures abound, Emanuel's practicality could have helped

(NEWSER) - From health care reform to unemployment to Guantanamo Bay, many Washington insiders think President Obama would be much better off today had he listened to his brash-but-practical chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Top staffers like David Axelrod have a “strong view of the historic character Obama is supposed to be,” a supporter tells the Washington Post . But Emanuel “knows the geography better,” and is willing to do “the small, marginal things a White House could do to mitigate the problems on the Hill.” More»