Joel Kaplan

Joel D. Kaplan was named April 19, 2006, by President George W. Bush to serve as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. "In this role, Mr. Kaplan will be responsible for the policy development process in the White House. He will work closely with the four policy councils and the Cabinet agencies to provide the President with the best possible advice on all policy matters," President Bush stated in the White House news release.


 * "Joel Kaplan is a man of great talent, intellect, and experience who possesses a deep knowledge of policy and budget processes. He is well-respected in the Cabinet and White House, and he will help me and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten develop policies that meet our Nation's priorities and needs. I appreciate his continued service to our country.


 * "Mr. Kaplan has served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget since he was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to that position in 2003. He previously served as Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the Chief of Staff. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kaplan was a law clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States and for Judge Michael Luttig on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He served for four years in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Kaplan is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.


 * "Mr. Kaplan will join Joe Hagin and Karl Rove as Deputy Chiefs of Staff to the President in the Office of Chief of Staff Josh Bolten. Joe Hagin has served as Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff since January 2001. Karl Rove has served as Assistant to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Senior Advisor since 2005, and he served as Senior Advisor from 2001 through 2005."

Kaplan was promoted as President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff, taking over Karl Rove's responsibilities as Bush's chief policy coordinator, Terence Hunt reported for the Associated Press.

Kaplan had been in "the No. 2 job in the White House budget office where he had served" under Bolten, who took over April 14, 2006, as Bush's Chief of Staff "with authority to do whatever he deemed necessary to stabilize Bush's presidency, and he has moved quickly with changes," Hunt wrote.

"Kaplan, the new deputy chief of staff, will take over from Rove as coordinator of policy developed within the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. A trusted aide to Bolten, he will be the new chief's right-hand man," Hunt wrote.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration
 * Bush's White House Staff