MUMBAI: CNN US has announced that John King will be its chief national correspondent. King’s new Washington, D.C.-based assignment will be a broad mandate for a range of reporting on interesting and important stories in the US and around the world.

CNN US president Jon Klein said, “John is a brilliant journalist who approaches each assignment with great fervor and dedication. During his on-site reporting of the tsunami aftermath, we witnessed the breadth of John’s capabilities beyond the White House beat. Our viewers are better served by having him out in the field.”

CNN US VP and Washington bureau chief David Bohrman said, “Here in CNN’s Washington bureau, we all know John as our senior White House correspondent. I remember meeting him when he was one of the very best reporters of any medium on any beat. This new assignment will allow King to use his range of interests and knowledge in a broader variety of reporting areas.”

King has served as CNN’s senior White House correspondent since 1999 and has been with CNN since 1997. King’s tenure included a lead role in coverage of the 2004 presidential election, the events leading up to and around the war with Iraq, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the tax-cut debates of 2001and 2003 and the global war on terrorism. He has conducted one-on-one interviews with an array of senior officials, including President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. King travelled with Cheney to the Middle East in March 2002 as the administration began to build support for confronting Saddam Hussein.

In December 2004, King travelled with Powell to Thailand and other South Asian countries to cover the disaster and aftermath of the tsunami that took more than 175,000 lives in the region.