Recently in Valerie Jarrett Category

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with, from left, Chicago 2016 board member Marty Nesbitt, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Education Secretary Arne Duncan aboard Air Force One prior to departure from Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct. 2, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

WASHINGTON--This photo from the White House captures some of the central Chicago and Illinois figures in the Obama White House en route to Washington from Copenhagen where they pitched Chicago for the 2016 Olympics--only to be stunned to have Chicago come in last.

WASHINGTON--The three top Chicagoans in the White House (other than President Obama and First Lady Michelle)--Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel-- are deployed to the Sunday shows, the first time, I believe that the three have been on separate shows on the same morning.

Via Mike Allen's Politico Playbook:

From Mike Allen: DRIVING THE WEEKEND: Banks and bonuses, the Dow and jobs will be top topics -- along with health care and Afghanistan -- as the West Wing fans out on the Sunday shows. Rahm EMANUEL will be on CNN's "State of the Union" (in studio, live at 9 a.m.) and CBS's "Face the Nation." Valerie JARRETT takes "Meet," which says its topics include: "[Outrage] over Wall Street bonuses. Should the government step in?" David AXELROD will do ABC's "This Week," where George Stephanopoulos blogs that his topics will include: "Wall Street's back. How about you? The Dow hit 10,000 even while 15 million Americans are without a job."

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama, off to Copenhagen on Tuesday night to lobby for Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid, said the rash of crime in Chicago won't hurt the city when the International Olympic Committee votes on Friday.

In a session with reporters on Monday, Mrs. Obama said, "You know, there are a number of big cities that are bidding. And when you live in a big city there are issues that are unique to urban settings. Chicago isn't unique in that way. But that's one of the things that I can talk about personally. I mean, you know, most of these Games are taking place blocks away from my house. There's good security by my house these days. And while Chicago is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it is -- people don't live in fear. The downtown area is completely accessible.

"But more importantly, the character of Chicago shines through. We're Midwestern folks, and there's a bit of southern hospitality that comes along with that place. We know how to treat our visitors with respect and with open arms. And I think that's the character that will shine through, in addition to the fact that it's such an international city.

"Then you think about the countries that are going to be represented and you think of the 77 different community areas in Chicago, it's almost a little U.N. There are significant communities that would support these athletes from across the globe. And it's important for people to understand that Chicago isn't just a U.S. place, it's an international place. And people will be able to go into communities and shop and find food that they get back home. They'll be able to hear their music. They'll be able to see people like them.

"I know Mayor Daley, and he's going to make sure that these Games go off without a hitch because that's the kind of mayor he is. It's not called the "City That Works" for nothing. It really works. And it's not always perfect, but it's really, really good."

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama is flying to Copenhagen Tuesday night to lobby the International Olympic Committee to vote Friday for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics. She talked up her game in her first ever press conference at the White House on Monday. My report here.

WASHINGTON -- Oprah Winfrey and first lady Michelle Obama are global brands.

And these two world-famous women will try to translate their personal appeal into Olympic votes for Chicago as they buttonhole targeted members of the International Olympic Committee for one-on-one lobbying this week in Copenhagen in advance of the Oct. 2 vote to choose a host city for the 2016 Summer Games.

At this stage of Chicago's long quest for the Olympics, the only thing that matters is finding more than 50 people from the 106-member IOC to vote for Chicago over Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

BY NATASHA KORECKI
Chicago Sun-Times Staff Reporter

CHICAGO--It has long been claimed that Rahm Emanuel wanted to find someone to keep his congressional seat warm while he served as President Obama's chief of staff.

Now, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned that Emanuel wanted then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to appoint Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool to his 5th Congressional District seat.

Claypool would serve one or two terms and then be considered for a place in Obama's Cabinet, according to sources familiar with Emanuel's proposal. That would give Emanuel the option of returning to Congress, where he could vie to become House speaker.

WASHINGTON--White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrettt, who seemed to vanish at the end of last week, was actually dispatched to India on a delicate diplomatic mission: President Obama' tapped her to meet with the exiled Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama.

Jarrettt called on the leading figure for Tibet's autonomy from China on Sunday and Monday, along with State Department Under Secretary Maria Otero, the Obama White House new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.

The Jarrett visit to Dharamsala, India, to meet with the Dalai Lama at his residence, comes in advance of Obama traveling to China in November. The Nobel Prize winning Dalaii Lama was in the U.S. in May and has a return trip scheduled for next month; Jarrett's visit could serve to pave the way for a White House meeting with Obama.

Former Gov. Blagojevich, awaiting trial on public corruption charges, including how he allegedly tried to sell a Senate seat, writes in his new book, The Governor, about how White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel--then a Congressman--tried to get a placeholder in his House seat in case he wanted to go back some day. Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, was asked about it at Monday's briefing. His answer below.

The Sun-Times Natasha Korecki, who broke many of the major stories about the Blagojevich probe, provides a quick over view of the Blagojevich book over at her blog.

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett was in play for the appointment.

Writes Blagojevich of Jarrett, "I knew her and I liked her. But was this the best I could do for the people of Illinois?" He also writes that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan would not support Jarrett. Blagojevich also writes that Marilyn Katz, a public affairs consultant, made overtures to him about appointing Jarrett, saying--according to Blagojevich--it would help him get Obama contributors to donate to him.

Back to Emanuel. Blagojevich said that in that same conversation--where Emanuel, Blagojevich wrote, was trying to figure out a way around the Illinois law where House vacancies are filled through a special election, not an appointment--he brought up his brother, Hollywood superagent Ari.

"After chiding him for not acknowledging the help I gave his brother Ari in the past to help one of his clientts bring the sport of Ultimate Fighting to Illinois--an idea, incidently, that I didn't like but nevertheless I did try to help him--I told him I would talk to my legal counsel. and see if there was a way where this perhaps might work."

from the Gibbs briefing.....

Q The AP is reporting that Governor Blagojevich's new book says that Rahm Emanuel asked him to see if they could have a placeholder appointed in his House seat so that after two years as White House Chief of Staff he could go back and win the seat again and pursue his ambition to become Speaker. Can you tell us if that's the case?

MR. GIBBS: I have not -- I barely cover with Rahm what's going to happen the rest of the week. I have not talked to him about that nor have I -- I've not seen the book by the indicted former governor of Illinois.

Q And is this something that ever came up in the transition that you're aware of?

MR. GIBBS: No, not that -- I do not remember any discussion about that.

WASHINGTON -- It's a Tuesday in June, and I am in one of the high-ceiling big rooms of the old office building next to the White House.

As I look around the room at the players assembled here -- including this scribe -- I'm thinking that with a few twists of fate, this all-Chicago gang could be huddling in Mayor Daley's City Hall.

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said President Obama's meeting with Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley hit the right tone and tamped down the uproar over Obama's comments about the cops acting "stupidly."

Jarrett made her comments to Al Hunt in an interview on Bloomberg TV. Obama touched off a controversy when he answered my question to him at a press conference about his reaction to the July arrest of Gates by Crowley.

She said the president "hit it just right" in handling the controversy triggered by his original answer.

WASHINGTON--The profile of Valerie Jarrett, Senior White House adviser is high and gets bumped up this weekend when she is the cover of the Sunday New York Times Magazine. Hat Tip to Mike Allen of Politicofor what he calls the "West Wing Must-Read" about Jarrett:

From Allen: The cover of The New York Times Magazine -- striking image here -- is: "OBAMA'S BFF / VALERIE JARRETT IS ONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S MOST INFLUENTIAL ADVISERS. SO WHAT DOES SHE DO, EXACTLY? BY ROBERT DRAPER ... Obama's long time aide-de-camp is a woman with chameleonlike ability to move fluidly between high-level policy meetings and outreach efforts involving business groups and African-American leaders. And, from her West Wing office, she can also press the president on any issue. But what does Jarrett really do and what do other top insiders like David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel think about her sizable influence over their boss?"

Kal Penn the actor -- and the screen name -- is on a sabbatical.

Kalpen Modi, 32, is best known as Kumar in the "Harold and Kumar" movies. Now he's an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. He finally reported for work on Monday, in a suit and tie.

WASHINGTON--The Obama White House on Wednesday released a list of the salaries of 487 White House staffers. You can read the list here or check out the searchable database at www.whitehouse.gov.

The top Chicagoans in the Obama White House also earn the top White House salaries--capped at $172,200, according to a list released Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - President Obama is reshaping a White House office run by Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett to emphasize a mission heavy on the civic engagement side.

Chicagoans still run the operation: The Office of Public Liaison is now the Office of Public Engagement. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser to the President, Christina M. Tchen, Director of OPE; and Michael Strautmanis Chief of Staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement.

Person to watch in the operation: Obama presidential campaign grassroots and field organizer Buffy Wicks is tapped to be Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

WASHINGTON--The profiles of Chicago pals White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers are skyrocketing. They team up--and glam up-- for the cover of the latest Capitol File magazine.

Rogers hit the cover of a recent Wall Street Journal magazine story by Amy Chozick titled
Desirée Rogers--the former Mardi Gras queen who holds the keys to Brand Obama
While I think of Rogers as a Chicagoan--her New Orleans roots are part of every profile.

Capitol File

Wall Street Journal

I saw Rogers and Jarrett Saturday night at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. POLITICO posted a video of the two having a small snag getting through security at the dinner.

POLITICO

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), mulling a Senate run, throws her annual "women's power lunch" fundraiser Monday at the Hyatt Regency with marquee speakers White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Director of Public Liaison Tina Tchen and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

This will be a homecoming for Jarrett and Tchen who will know just about everybody in the crowd. The event will also serve to introduce Klobuchar, a rising Senate star, to an important Chicago network of Democratic activists.

Schakowsky's "power lunch" funder--her major event--brings together mainly women from the Chicago's feminist, progressive, Democratic activist, charitable communities.

Last year, Michelle Obama was the speaker and outlined in broad strokes what her agenda would be if she became First Lady.