Cooper Allen

USA TODAY

Hillary Clinton picked up the endorsement of another major Democratic Party figure on Thursday: Leon Panetta.

Panetta, a former Defense secretary, CIA director, White House chief of staff and Democratic congressman from California, cited the former secretary of State's "ability to govern" and "ability to provide world leadership" in announcing his endorsement on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports.

"The ability to govern, the ability to bring both parties together in order to govern, that is a huge responsibility for the next president," he said.

Panetta's ties to Clinton go back decades. He served as President Bill Clinton's first budget director, then took over as White House chief of staff in 1994, serving in that role until the end of Clinton's first term.

Later, Panetta served with Hillary Clinton in the Obama administration, first as CIA director while she served as secretary of State, then later as Defense secretary until early in President Obama's second term.