President Joe Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, is expected to step down, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
Klain, who had been a fixture near the president for the past 30 years, has been privately telling his colleagues he plans to resign since the midterms. But it is unclear whether a replacement has been picked or when Klain intends to announce his resignation.
Still, sources tell The Times that it's likely to be announced after Biden speaks at the State of the Union address next month.
Klain's resignation marks a significant turnover in the Biden administration. Additionally, the White House will likely begin seeing more departures in the coming months if Biden commits to his reelection bid and aides move over to his campaign.
If such a resignation were to come about, it would occur during a time when Biden is facing investigations by the Department of Justice over the mishandling of classified documents, as well as a House probe, which Kentucky GOP congressman James Comer has maintained is about the president.
Among those on the shortlist to succeed Klain include Steve Richetti, counselor to the president; Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; and Anita Dunn, a White House senior adviser.
Dunn has publicly ruled out interest in the chief of staff job, but would be the first woman in the post. She played a leading role in shaping Biden's political and communications strategy.
Zients has returned to the White House since running the COVID-19 response team in a low-profile role to ensure the administration is appropriately staffed for the remainder of Biden's first term. Richetti, a former lobbyist, followed after Klain and senior adviser Bruce Reed as Biden's final vice presidential chief of staff.
Walsh, Boston's mayor before joining the Cabinet, earned praise from Biden as recently as Friday for his job performance. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, is in his second stint as agriculture secretary after serving in the role for the entirety of the Obama administration. He volunteered for Biden during Biden's ill-fated 1988 presidential bid in Iowa.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.