New York Times political reporter Jeff Zeleny is leaving the newspaper for ABC News.
ABC News president Ben Sherwood announced the hire Monday morning in a note to staff. He said that last week, Times' executive editor Jill Abramson praised Zeleny as "a cornerstone of our political coverage."
Here is Sherwood's note:
I am pleased to announce that Jeff Zeleny is coming to ABC News as our Senior Washington Correspondent covering Congress and politics. If you're interested in presidential campaigns or national affairs, then you're well aware of Jeff's byline at The New York Times and his exclusive reporting and prolific writing.
Over the past 12 years Jeff has traveled to all 50 states and reported from more than two-dozen countries while covering four Presidential campaigns including Barack Obama's road to the White House, the Tea Party movement, Capitol Hill and the inside game of politics. Earlier this month Jeff revealed that Karl Rove is starting a new group to focus on recruiting seasoned Republican candidates to run in the next round of Congressional races – a story that drove the news cycle for days. During the 2012 campaign he broke the news that President Obama would support a Democratic Super PAC, a reversal from his strongly held position in 2008. Along with a team of colleagues at the Chicago Tribune in 2001, Jeff was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for compelling, in-depth coverage of gridlock in the country's air traffic control system.
A Nebraska native, Jeff is one of the country's premier political journalists. Indeed, late last week, Jill Abramson of The New York Times noted that Jeff is "a cornerstone of our political coverage and, as his main fan (I regularly send him mash notes after seeing him on TV), I'm well aware that he's terrific on television."
Jeff will bring his many talents to all our broadcasts and platforms. No stranger to the Sunday morning shows, he will contribute regularly to our This Week roundtable.
ABC's powerhouse political team blazed many trails in 2012 and I am delighted that Jeff will join them next month to build on our great traditions and help lead coverage of the important issues of the day and the '14 and '16 election cycles …right around the corner!
Please take a moment to welcome Jeff to ABC News. Ben