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AP sources: Biden to pick Zients as his next chief of staff

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to name Jeff Zients, who ran the administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of Biden's term, as his next chief of staff, according to two people familiar with the matter.
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FILE - Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Build America Investment Initiative roundtable, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. From left are, then-Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Biden, then-National Economic Council Director Jeff Zients, and then-Senior Policy Adviser at the National Economic Jake Broder-Fingert. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to name Jeff Zients, who ran the administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of Biden's term, as his next chief of staff, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Biden's current top aide, Ron Klain, is preparing to leave the job in the coming weeks.

Since serving as COVID-19 response coordinator, Zients has returned to the White House in a low-profile position to work on staffing matters for the remainder of Biden's first term.

The two people familiar with the matter were not authorized to publicly discuss Biden's plans before an official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Washington Post first reported on Zients' expected appointment.

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Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, contributed to this report.

Zeke Miller And Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press