Who is Cedric Richmond? Louisiana congressman tapped for role in Biden’s White House
U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from Louisiana, will leave his seat in Congress for a senior role in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, he announced in a news conference Tuesday morning.
Biden’s transition team has moved forward with the transfer of power and has started assembling White House staff as the president-elect prepares to take office on Jan. 20. Last week Biden tapped Ron Klain, who was his chief of staff when he was vice president, to serve as White House chief of staff.
Richmond’s role will likely make him the highest-ranking Black aide in Biden’s administration, according to CNN.
Biden is expected to name his cabinet positions and hundreds of new White House aides in the coming weeks.
Who is Cedric Richmond?
Richmond has served Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional district — which includes the majority of New Orleans — in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011.
He is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, a member of the New Democrat Coalition and works as assistant to the majority whip. He previously served as chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus and is now chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
The congressman was also co-chairperson on Biden’s campaign and was an “early supporter,” The New York Times reports.
He was key in helping Biden “leverage his own long-standing relationships” with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, The Associated Press reports.
Richmond previously held positions on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on the Judiciary, where he “helped make landmark criminal justice reform a reality,” according to his biography.
He has a strong relationship with House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, who described Richmond as “very gifted” and “very energetic” to The Associated Press.
Richmond’s role
He said Tuesday he will serve as senior advisor to the president-elect and director of public engagement with an office in the West Wing.
His role in the White House will involve working with Congress and “a focus on the Black community and other minority groups,” the AP reports.
The job will likely mirror that of Valerie Jarrett, who oversaw the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in former President Barack Obama’s administration, according to the AP.
He will likely have “broad responsibilities,” people familiar with the transition told the New York Times. He’s also expected to be among aides most willing to give the president-elect “frank and candid advice.”
“This is a sad day for me to announce that I am leaving something I fought so hard to get,” Richmond said Tuesday. “But I do want you to know I am not leaving the people of Louisiana. I am not leaving the people of the second congressional district. I am New Orleans through and through.”
Democrats are already scrambling to fill his House seat, CNN reports.
But his district is a Democratic stronghold, and his departure is unlikely to cost the party his seat, according to the Times.
He said during the news conference, livestreamed by local outlet WAFB, that he wouldn’t leave his seat in Congress if he didn’t think the White House role would better serve Louisiana.
“This new role will allow me to offer advice to the president when he wants it, maybe sometimes when he doesn’t want it,” Richmond said.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 8:03 AM with the headline "Who is Cedric Richmond? Louisiana congressman tapped for role in Biden’s White House."
