President-elect Joe Biden has appointed former Obama White House communications director Jen Psaki to lead a team to oversee the confirmation process for key administration appointments, Fox News has confirmed.
Politico first reported that Biden tapped Psaki to lead the team, which includes a number of former Biden aides and campaign officials.
BIDEN STARTS STAFFING UP WITH SENOR WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
The team includes Andrew Bates, the Biden campaign’s rapid response director; former Pete Buttigieg campaign official Sean Savett, and former official on Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign Salonia Sharma.
Former Biden Senate aide Olivia Dalton will lead communications, while the floor director for Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Reema Dodin, will lead legislative strategy.
The team also includes Jorge Neri, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, who will serve as deputy outreach director on confirmations.
Fox News has confirmed that the team will expand in the coming weeks with the addition of some Biden campaign staffers and volunteers from Capitol Hill.
The team is expected to work with Stephanie Valencia, who is overseeing Biden’s transition outreach, as well as Louisa Terrell, who is overseeing the transition’s congressional affairs.
Politico reported that the nominations team, though, will have its own communications, outreach and legislative teams to help to get Biden’s nominees confirmed.
BIDEN SELECTS RON KLAIN AS WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF
Biden this week announced nine senior staffers he will work with in the White House after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021. The list includes some longtime Biden aides and advisers who worked with the president-elect during his decades as a senator and his eight years as vice president in the Obama administration. The group also includes some of the top members of Biden’s presidential campaign
“I am proud to announce additional members of my senior team who will help us build back better than before. America faces great challenges, and they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger, more united nation,” Biden said in a statement.
Ron Klain, who Biden named last week as his incoming White House chief of staff, highlighted that “President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have an ambitious and urgent agenda for action. The team we have already started to assemble will enable us to meet the challenges facing our country on day one.”
As for key Cabinet posts, several names have been floated for key positions, but Biden has not yet officially announced any formal nominations or appointments.
Fox News’ Pat Ward and Peter Doocy contribued to this report.
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