Valerie Jarrett: ‘I’m Not the Shadow Chief of Staff’

‘I have very specific responsibilities’

Valerie Jarrett: ‘I’m not the shadow chief of staff’ (Chicago Sun-Times)

WASHINGTON — For the first time, White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett on Wednesday publicly discussed whether she uses her unique relationship with President Barack Obama to do an end-run around other key staffers to influence decisions because of her extraordinary access.

For the past five years, that has been a narrative about Jarrett finding its way into the articles and books written about the Obama White House. The stories started early in the first term, touching on friction with then-Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who tried to steer her into taking the Illinois U.S. Senate seat Obama vacated instead of a White House position.

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