Obama's Cabinet Shuffle: Who is Leaving and Who Was Asked to Stay
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. speaks to employees at the Department of Justice, Oct. 4, 2012 in Washington. (Brendan Smialkowski/AFP/Getty Images)
With the departure of Hilda Solis at Labor, we have now seen five members of the President's cabinet announcing their intention to leave since the election: Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Leon Panetta, Lisa Jackson (EPA) and now Hilda Solis. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood has also long suggested he would not stay for a second term.
There's nothing unusual about 2 nd term cabinet changes, of course, and there may be more to come. But a senior White House official tells me that at least three other cabinet secretaries have been asked to stay as the President begins his second term:
- Attorney General Eric Holder
- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
- VA Secretary Eric Shinseki
Among the others we are waiting to hear from: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and, not in the cabinet but important, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.