WASHINGTON — John Podesta built his reputation as a Democratic Party wise man by trying to salvage the second terms of two presidents. He’s about to duck out of the White House to try to engineer the election of a third.
Podesta served as Bill Clinton’s final White House chief of staff in the 1990s and is closing out a yearlong stint as counselor to President Barack Obama. After departing the White House later this week, his next act will be steering Hillary Rodham Clinton’s expected 2016 campaign for president.
For months, Podesta has balanced his allegiance to both Obama and Clinton, former presidential rivals turned allies.
While shepherding the president’s climate change agenda and shaping his strategy for dealing with a Republican-led Congress, Podesta has also been involved in nearly every key conversation with Clinton on campaign hires and her nascent organization, as well as the timing of a formal announcement of her candidacy.
The unusual arrangement underscores the 66-year-old Podesta’s status as something of a Democratic senior statesman — “someone who knows how to navigate the waters in Washington in a way very few do,” said Maria Cardona, who worked for Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign.
In a statement to The Associated Press, former President Clinton called Podesta “always on the level, straightforward with allies, adversaries and fence-sitters alike, and he never forgets the impact policy decisions have on real people.”
Podesta declined to be interviewed for this story, and a spokesman for Hillary Clinton also would not comment on his prospective role in her 2016 campaign. But several people close to her operation spoke about Podesta on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized by Clinton’s team to do so publicly on the record.
A wiry Chicagoan with a quirky, sometimes dark sense of humor, Podesta accepted the post in Obama’s White House on the condition that he would only stay for one year. White House officials said it wasn’t clear at the time that Podesta intended to work for Clinton when he left.
For Obama and Clinton, affiliating with Podesta — a sharp political tactician and progressive policy wonk — is a way to signal to critics and wary supporters they are willing to recalibrate and learn from past mistakes.
Obama brought on Podesta after the disastrous rollout of his health care law, a deeply challenging stretch that sparked questions about his competence and that of his tight-knit inner circle. Several current and former White House officials said Podesta quickly injected more depth into strategy discussions and would often play devil’s advocate, pushing the team to consider things not on their radar.
For Clinton, bringing on Podesta is widely viewed as an effort to avoid the disorganization and backbiting that plagued her 2008 bid. He wasn’t directly involved in that run. Though Podesta’s title is expected this time to be something akin to campaign chairman, he is expected to have a hand in day-to-day operations and is seen as one of the few staff members who can be candid with both Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Republicans have cast Podesta’s move from the White House to Clinton’s campaign as a sign that the former secretary of state is running for a third Obama term.
“By scooping up members of his inner circle, Hillary Clinton is signaling that’s what she intends to give them,” said Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.
