One of President Obama’s closest friends and advisers, Valerie Jarrett has cemented her role in the White House as the administration fights for four more years. In a new profile, the extent to which the president leans on “VJ” is made clearer than ever, with one close adviser calling her “effectively the chief of staff.” Jarrett, herself the child of a family with a long history of political involvement in Chicago, met Obama before he entered politics in the Windy City more than two decades ago and has been at his side virtually ever since.
