White House chief of staff Bill Daley has surrendered some of his managerial tasks, a senior administration official said, a move that follows criticism of his tenure from both inside and outside the West Wing.
Senior adviser Pete Rouse, a longtime Obama confidante and frequent “fixer,” has stepped in to coordinate some policy issues, the official said.
But White House officials said that the change, which was in the works for weeks, did not represent a rebuke to the chief of staff.
Daley himself “asked Pete to take on an expanded operational and coordination role with the White House staff,” a senior administration official said.
“This is part of Bill’s effort to make the White House staff as effective and efficient as possible, and it stretches back many weeks,” the official said. “It’s a move designed to improve internal communication and maximize performance.”
The Wall Street Journal reported the shift in duties late Monday, portraying it as something of a demotion for Daley, who has come under fire for failing to turn around Obama’s standing in the 10 months since he became chief of staff.
Daley raised the ire of key Democrats with an interview he gave recently to a Politico columnist that criticized congressional Democrats alongside Republicans.
A former Commerce secretary and banking executive, Daley is expected now to play a more outward-facing role, seen as one of his strengths. Aides have noted for months that he keeps his door closed much of the day, unlike his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel, who roamed the hallways keeping track of administration minutiae.
And while Daley has known advisers in Obama’s Chicago orbit for years, he has remained something of an outsider among the tight-knit group of White House aides, while at the same time failing to forge strong relationships for the president on Capitol Hill.
In October, columnist Joan Walsh at Salon called on Obama to fire Daley for what she described as his arrogance. Daley, for his part, has said he intends to leave after 2012. But in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Daley said he intends to stay around until the election.