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Rahm Emanuel could be Biden’s pick for transportation secretary
President-elect Joe Biden weighs former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as his transportation secretary. Here is everything you need to know about Biden’s possible pick
President-elect Joe Biden is considering former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a substantial and somewhat divisive figure in Democratic Party politics, to serve as his transportation secretary. Here is everything you need to know about Biden’s possible pick:
Who is Rahm Emanuel?
Emanuel, a former three-term congressman who served as Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff and was a senior adviser in Bill Clinton’s administration, has been a significant force in Democratic Party politics for much of the last three decades. He also turned reviving Chicago’s ragged public transportation system and overhauling the city’s two busy, worn airports into a top issue during his eight years as mayor.
Why is Emanuel considered as a controversial pick?
Emanuel announced in September 2018 that he would not run for a third term as Chicago mayor, citing a desire to step away from the hectic life of elected office. The decision came as he saw his popularity erode in the city’s large African American community following the McDonald police shooting. The death of McDonald, who was shot 16 times, became a touchstone moment in the ongoing national conversation about racial injustice. He faced rebuke from some Black leaders in the city who accused him and his administration of covering up the shooting. Emanuel denied the coverup allegations but did not run for office again.
What has the Democrat party said about Emanuel’s candidacy?
His candidacy threatens to pull at the divisions among Democrats that Biden has largely managed to avoid as he begins to fill out his administration. Progressive leaders, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have been especially vocal in criticizing the prospect of Emanuel joining the Cabinet because of the controversies that have surrounded him.
“What is so hard to understand about this? Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted last week. “This is not about the ‘visibility’ of a post. It is shameful and concerning that he is even being considered.”
Cori Bush, an incoming Democratic congresswoman from Missouri, added that “the thing about covering up the murder of Laquan McDonald is that it disqualifies you from holding any type of public office. Forever.”
