In the midst of the classified documents investigation, White House chief of staff Ron Klain is expected to step down after two years as a driving force in President Joe Biden‘s administration, it was reported on Saturday.

The New York Times describes the shake-up as “the most significant changing of the guard since Mr. Biden took office two years ago,” referring to Klain as “a singularly important figure” in the administration.

Klain, a veteran of the Obama administration who also served as Biden’s vice presidential chief of staff, has been privately telling colleagues he’s ready to “move on” according to the New York Times, citing senior administration officials. They report that the administration is already searching for a replacement.

The officials, who discussed internal matters on condition of anonymity, would not say whether a successor has already been picked or when the decision would be announced, but indicated that it would come at some point after the president outlined his agenda for the coming year in his State of the Union address on Feb. 7. Mr. Klain likely would stay around for a transition period to help the next chief settle into the corner office that has been his command post for many crises and legislative battles.

His resignation would mark a striking moment of turnover at the top of an administration that has been relatively stable through the first half of Mr. Biden’s term, and Mr. Klain takes pride that he has lasted longer than any other Democratic president’s first chief of staff in more than half a century. But with Mr. Biden expected to announce by spring that he is running for re-election, advisers predict more moves as some aides shift from the White House to the campaign.

Both CNN and MSNBC in their reports on the news of his pending departure pointed out that Biden is facing a variety of challenges beyond policy, to include legal issues, the classified documents investigation, and investigations related to Hunter Biden underway by law enforcement and, soon, House Republicans.

“Is anything being said about the timing?” asked CNN’s Fredericka Whitfield, citing some of those issues.

Correspondent Arlette Saenz incorrectly responded that no one “specifically” at this moment is bringing up those issues. The NYT report actually does mention those exact issues.

The departure would also come at a time when the White House faces a widening array of political and legal threats from a newly appointed special counsel investigating the improper handling of classified documents and a flurry of other inquiries by the newly installed Republican majority in the House. The next chief of staff will be charged with managing the defense of Mr. Biden’s White House and any counterattackas the 2024 election approaches.

Friday marked the two-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration.

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