Experts in the News | Miller Center

Biden's Cabinet is sticking around, bucking the turnover trend of his predecessors

The absence of turnover among the Biden appointees — whose jobs include stopping crime, keeping food safe and guarding against attack — is a rarity. Since Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s, only Barack Obama had no one from the Cabinet step down by the midpoint of his first term, said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a senior fellow at the Miller Center, a think tank on the presidency at the University of Virginia.

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas

Why Ron Klain's Exit as Chief of Staff is a 'Huge Loss' for Joe Biden

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution, told The Times that finding a suitable replacement for Klain "will not be easy and may well be impossible" due to his skill set and track record. "They are headed into a re-election campaign that also increases Ron's value in that he has campaign experience and political skills," Tenpas said. "In addition, the chief of staff's Capitol Hill experience could come in handy as they confront divided government."

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas

Ron Klain Expected to Step Down as Biden’s White House Chief of Staff

“He is a truly unique chief of staff,” said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution who studies administration personnel. Mr. Klain’s broad experience in multiple administrations as well as on Capitol Hill, his reputation for managing tough political challenges and his long history with Mr. Biden made him the most important figure in the White House besides the president.

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas

Biden’s Cabinet Expected to Stay in Place for Now as Campaign Nears

“It’s surprising because with each passing administration there’s heightened media scrutiny and opportunities for personal scandals” that could lead to cabinet resignations, said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a senior fellow at Brookings who studies the White House. “But it has been a pretty low-key cabinet.”

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas

Joe Biden's first two years: lights and shadows

Professor Russell Riley is interviewed on TV3-Barcelona.

Russell Riley

Can Presidents Be Prosecuted, or Sued? Professor Explains Differing Visions of Immunity

With two U.S. presidents now facing special counsel investigations and one facing legal jeopardy on a host of other matters, questions over how and when a president might face legal action are swirling. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently appointed a special counsel to investigate President Joseph Biden and his administration’s handling of classified documents, months after an investigation of President Donald Trump’s storage of classified files at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida commenced. Trump is also facing criminal investigations and civil litigation involving his actions on Jan. 6, his tax and business activities, alleged election interference and more.

Saikrishna Prakash