Emanuel leaving White House on Friday -- Obama's chief of staff to begin campaign for Chicago mayor this weekend

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel listens to President Barack Obama deliver remarks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 10.

story by NBC
photo by EPA

CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday. NBC News has confirmed that Pete Rouse, senior advisor to President Barack Obama, will be named as successor — likely on an interim basis.

It is still unclear who will take over the position permanently.

"The president will have a personnel announcement tomorrow," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a press conference Thursday. "We will save the specifics for then."

Gibbs said the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse, though he wouldn't confirm Rouse had been tapped for the interim post.

Two people familiar with his plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, told The Associated Press that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.

"He intends to run for mayor," one of the people said.

Both people said they did not know when Emanuel would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.