President Barack Obama’s controversial and high-profile chief of staff, who is Jewish, could be leaving his job within a year to run for office in Chicago.
Rahm Emanuel, who was also a senior aide to Bill Clinton, has been tipped by Washington sources to leave the White House after November's mid-term elections.
Friends of the 50-year-old have said personality differences with President Obama and a desire to spend more time with his family are behind his probable exit.
However, pundits have also predicted that the famously short-tempered Mr Emanuel will mount a campaign to become mayor in his home city of Chicago, where President Obama first honed his political skills.
