Biden, Gore staffer, Ron Klain, named Ebola czar – resume highlights listed
As part of the Obama dministration’s response to the Ebola crisis, President Obama announced today that he plans to appoint Ron Klain, Vice President Joe Biden’s former chief-of staff, as his Ebola czar.
Image/CDC
Klain, who also served as Chief of Staff for Vice President Al Gore, now works as general counsel at Revolution LLC.
Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco, a lawyer with a background in federal law enforcement, criminal prosecution and crisis response, was working with the CDC and other government officials to respond to the outbreak on U.S. soil.
Klain will report directly to Monaco and National Security Advisor Susan Rice, according to a White House official.
“The truth is, is that up until this point the individuals here have been running point and doing an outstanding job in dealing with what is a very complicated and fluid situation,” Obama said.
“It may make sense for us to have one person, in part just so that after this initial surge of activity we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we’re crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s going forward,” he added.
Klain does not come from a medical background, he is a lawyer and per ABC, here’s thing you should know:
- Klain was at the forefront of the 2000 “hanging chad” controversy, aiding in the Gore campaign’s ultimately unsuccessful attempt to clinch Florida’s 25 electoral votes.
- Biden’s chief-of-staff, he helped oversee implementation of the Recovery Act, the stimulus package enacted in 2009.
- Klain also served as a top debate prep adviser for Presidents Obama and Clinton as well as Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry.
- Klain left the White House in 2011 to become president of Case Holdings and general counsel at Revolution LLC, a technology-oriented venture capital firm founded by AOL co-founder Steve Case.
- He’s a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Byron White.
