US President-elect Joe Biden has picked veteran political operative Ron Klain to be White House chief of staff.

Mr Klain has served as a top aide to Mr Biden since the 1980s in the Senate and later when he was vice-president.

The ultimate Washington insider, Mr Klain was also a senior White House aide to Barack Obama and chief of staff to Vice-President Al Gore.

He was played by actor Kevin Spacey in the movie Recount, about the presidential election of 2000.

The White House chief of staff – who manages the president’s daily schedule and is often described as his gatekeeper – is a political appointee who does not require confirmation by the Senate.

Mr Biden paid tribute to Mr Klain in a statement issued by his transition team on Wednesday.

“His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum,” said Mr Biden, “is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again.”