Obama’s Cabinet Shuffle: Who is Leaving and Who Was Asked to Stay

By Jonathan Karl
@jonkarl
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Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. speaks to employees at the Department of Justice, Oct. 4, 2012 in Washington. (Brendan Smialkowski/AFP/Getty Images)

With the departure of Hilda Solis at Labor, we have now seen five members of the President’s cabinet announcing their intention to leave since the election:  Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Leon Panetta, Lisa Jackson (EPA) and now Hilda Solis.  Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood has also long suggested he would not stay for a second term.

There’s nothing unusual about 2^nd term cabinet changes, of course, and there may be more to come.  But a senior White House official tells me that at least three other cabinet secretaries have been asked to stay as the President begins his second term:

-          Attorney General Eric Holder

-          HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

-          VA Secretary Eric Shinseki

Among the others we are waiting to hear from:  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and, not in the cabinet but important, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

INFOGRAPHIC: The Obama Cabinet