McDonough Named New Chief of Staff

Having a job once held by Rahm Emanuel, Jack Lew, and more has got to be some intense pressure. President Obama named foreign-policy aide Denis McDonough as his fifth chief of staff Friday. Touting McDonough’s work ethic—joking, “I think sometimes Denis likes pulling all-nighters”—Obama called him the “consummate public servant.” McDonough, a deputy national-security adviser, is a longtime trusted ally of Obama’s—key to holding down the chief-of-staff job, considered one of the most influential in Washington despite being behind the scenes. Obama is also expected to announce communications director Dan Pfeiffer as senior adviser and make his deputy, Jennifer Palmieri, communications director.