Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is under consideration to lead the department of transportation, reports Axios.
Joe Biden has started naming Cabinet picks as states continue to certify results from the 2020 presidential election. Many news outlets have called the race for Biden, though Newsmax is holding off until the results are official.
Emanuel, President Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, supported high-speed rail and launched several Chicago Transit Agency projects that brought in federal dollars. But his handling of the officer-involved shooting of Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager, has some questioning why he’s being floated for the role.
McDonald, 17, was gunned down in October 2014. The City of Chicago fought to prevent the release of video footage showing Jason Van Dyke, a white officer, shooting McDonald 16 times while he was walking away. A judge ordered the video released seven months after Emanuel was reelected in April 2015.
"What is so hard to understand about this? Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Monday. "This is not about the 'visibility' of a post. It is shameful and concerning that he is even being considered."
“Rahm Emanuel should not be considered for any position within the Biden administration,” Rep-Elect Jamaal Bowman tweeted on Nov. 23.
Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told CNN that Biden picking Rahm "would cause at least half of the Democratic Party to jump off the Biden train."
"From civil rights activists to economic progressives, it is hard to identify a group of grassroots activists whom Rahm hasn't permanently alienated," said Hauser.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.