Rahm, Durbin invited to Obama last bash at White House on Friday

WASHINGTON — Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be at the White House on Friday for the final bash thrown by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, which is expected to be packed with old friends, campaign supporters and celebrities — not that these categories don’t often overlap.

City Hall chose not to put the event on Emanuel’s public schedule. The White House did not put the event on Obama’s public schedule.

Besides Emanuel, who was Obama’s first White House chief of staff, those from Illinois also invited to the last Obama party include: Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill.; Ariel Investments founder John Rogers; Ariel honcho Mellody Hobson and her husband, film giant George Lucas; Obama Foundation chief Marty Nesbitt; and another long-time Obama friend, Alan Solow, now at Resolute Consulting, who will be there with his wife Andrea.

The party is for those who have been close to the Obamas for a long time. Chance the Rapper said in a Wednesday post on Twitter, ‘Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @Potus”

Billboard reported stars Jay Z, Paul McCartney, Usher and Eddie Vedder also were expected at the party.

Perhaps former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, now back in Chicago, will be there, too. He’s part of Mrs. Obama’s last “Reach Higher” event at the White House on Friday morning, where she will deliver her final remarks as first lady. Actress Connie Britton is also on that Reach Higher program.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest, asked about the party Thursday, said, “Look, over the years, the president and first lady have, on occasion, not frequently, but, on occasion, have hosted parties at the White House for their friends. And I anticipate this will be the last one that they have. They’ve got some packing to do.”