White House Chief of Staff: Obama ‘Confident' in Rahm Emanuel

On Meet the Press, Denis McDonough told Chuck Todd that the President sees that the mayor continues "to do very good work"

NBC News' Chuck Todd interviewed White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough Sunday morning on "Meet the Press," asking him about President Obama's thoughts on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's leadership in Chicago. 

McDonough, whose in-laws live in Chicago, revealed that he saw "up close and personal" that Obama is confident in Emanuel, saying "the city looks great, the opportunities there are boundless."

"I think what the President sees is a city and a people of Chicago and a Mayor of Chicago that continue to do very good work," McDonough added. 

Calls for the mayor's resignation came this month, following the release of a report that lawyers met with Emanuel before demanding "the Laquan McDonald family bury the video showing the killing of their son by a police officer," according to NBC News.

Dashcam video of the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a police officer led to city-wide protests.

Emanuel served as President Obama's first Chief of Staff from Jan. 2009 to his resignation in Oct. 2010. During the 2015 mayoral campaign, Obama endorsed Emanuel, visited his campaign headquarters, and recorded a radio ad in support of the Mayor in the city's re-election. 

"He loves our city, and he believes every child in every neighborhood should have a fair shot at success," Obama said in the ad. "If you want a mayor who does what is right, not just what's popular, who fights night and day for the city we love, then I hope you'll join me."

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