Ron Klain, the man appointed by President Barack Obama on Friday to head up the government's response to the Ebola virus in the United States, will not clock in on his new job until Wednesday.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reporters in Chicago on Monday that it isn't unusual for it to take weeks or months for an appointee to complete the "onboarding process,"
The Washington Examiner reports.
"It is not that long of a lapse," Schultz said.
Press reports already have noted Klain missing two meetings with the president on Ebola since his appointment was announced. And he won't testify on Friday before a Republican-led House hearing, because, Schultz said, "That will be day three of his tenure."
Schultz told reporters that Klain will be paid for the job, which Obama refers to as "Ebola response coordinator," but he did not give salary details.
Klain already
has faced criticism from Republicans because he is a political operative with no medical background. The White House has responded that Klain's expertise in coordination is needed, and that there are already enough medical professionals, including CDC Director Tom Frieden, handling that part of the response.
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