WASHINGTON — Barack Obama’s campaign has approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House chief of staff, officials said Thursday.
The Democrats who described the Obama campaign’s approach to Emanuel spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to be quoted by name. An aide to the congressman, Sarah Feinberg, said in an e-mail that he “has not been contacted to take a job in an administration that does not yet exist. Everyone is focused on Election Day, as they should be.”
Emanuel was a senior adviser to the president during the Clinton administration and has made a rapid ascent of the House leadership ladder since his election to Congress in 2002.
Both Obama and John McCain have authorized their staffs to begin transition operations in recent weeks.
