WASHINGTON _ Longtime staffer Nadeam Elshami will step down as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's chief of staff later this month, raising fresh questions about how long Pelosi intends to remain in office.
Pelosi, D-Calif., has said that she planned to retire if Hillary Clinton had won the presidency last November, but she has appeared reinvigorated by her role as foil to President Donald Trump.
While the departure of an influential aide always raises eyebrows about a politician's future, it doesn't necessarily mean Pelosi has made new plans about her retirement.
No reason was given for Elshami's departure, and his own plans aren't clear. He's been Pelosi's shadow for a third of her three-decade tenure on Capitol Hill.
"Nadeam's deep insight and effectiveness has been a vital part of our Caucus' unity throughout his time as Chief of Staff, especially during critical battles to protect the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street Reform and other landmark progress for working families," the Democrat said in a statement.
Elshami joined Pelosi's office in 2007 and became her chief of staff four years ago after leading her press team. He previously worked for Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., having risen through the ranks on Capitol Hill since starting in a Senate newsroom 25 years ago.
His replacement will be Daniel Weiss, who served 21 years as chief of staff for former California Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.
Weiss is vice president for federal policy and director of the Washington, D.C., office for Common Sense Media. He worked in various positions from 1988 to 2015 while Miller was a member of the House Democratic leadership and a confidant of Pelosi's.
