White House Counsel
| White House Counsel | |
|---|---|
 | |
since December 10, 2018 | |
| Formation | 1943 |
| First holder | Samuel Rosenman |
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States whose role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and their Administration. Pat Cipollone is the current White House Counsel serving since December 2018.[1]
Responsibilities
The Office of Counsel to the President was created in 1943, and is responsible for advising on all legal aspects of policy questions, legal issues arising in connection with the President's decision to sign or veto legislation, ethical questions, financial disclosures, and conflicts of interest during employment and post employment. The Counsel's Office also helps define the line between official and political activities, oversees executive appointments and judicial selection, handles Presidential pardons, reviews legislation and Presidential statements, and handles lawsuits against the President in his role as President, as well as serving as the White House contact for the Department of Justice.
Limitations
Although the White House Counsel offers legal advice to the President, the Counsel does so in the President's official capacity, and does not serve as the President's personal attorney. Therefore, controversy has emerged over the scope of the attorney–client privilege between the Counsel and the President, namely with John Dean of Watergate notoriety. It is clear, however, that the privilege does not apply in strictly personal matters. It also does not apply to legislative proceedings by the U.S. Congress against the President due to allegations of misconduct while in office, such as formal censures or impeachment proceedings. In those situations the President relies on a personal attorney if he desires confidential legal advice. The office is also distinct from the judiciary, and from others who are not appointed to positions, but nominated by the President, and confirmed by the Senate. These would be foremost the Attorney General of the United States, and his or her principal deputy and other assistants, who are nominated by the President to oversee the United States Department of Justice, or the Solicitor General of the United States and his or her staff (he or she is the third-ranking official in the Justice Department), who argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court (and in lower federal courts) for the Justice Department when it is a party to the case.
List of White House Counsels
| Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Deputy Counsel
|
President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Rosenman | October 2, 1943 | February 1, 1946 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |||
| Harry S. Truman | ||||||
| Clark Clifford | February 1, 1946 | January 31, 1950 | ||||
| Charles Murphy | January 31, 1950 | January 20, 1953 | ||||
| Bernard Shanley | January 20, 1953 | February 19, 1955 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
| Gerald Morgan | February 19, 1955 | November 5, 1958 | ||||
| David Kendall | November 5, 1958 | January 20, 1961 | ||||
| Ted Sorensen | January 20, 1961 | February 29, 1964 | John F. Kennedy | |||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | ||||||
| Mike Feldman | April 1964 | January 17, 1965 | ||||
| Lee White | January 17, 1965 | February 11, 1966 | ||||
| Milton Semer | February 14, 1966 | December 31, 1966 | ||||
| Harry McPherson | February 11, 1966 | October 26, 1967 | ||||
| Larry Temple | October 26, 1967 | January 20, 1969 | ||||
| John Ehrlichman | January 20, 1969 | November 4, 1969 | Fred Fielding (5/1973 to ?) | Richard Nixon | ||
| Charles Colson | November 6, 1969 | July 9, 1970 | ||||
| John Dean | July 9, 1970 | April 30, 1973 | ||||
| Leonard Garment | April 30, 1973 | August 9, 1974 | ||||
| Philip Buchen | August 9, 1974 | January 20, 1977 | Philip Areeda (10/1974 to 2/1975)
Roderick Hills (4/1975 to 10/1975) Edward C. Schmults (10/1975 to 1/1977) |
Gerald Ford | ||
| William Casselman | August 9, 1974 | September 19, 1975 | ||||
| Phillip Areeda | c. October 1, 1974 | c. February 1, 1975 | ||||
| Roderick Hills | c. March 1, 1975 | c. October 1, 1975 | ||||
| Robert Lipshutz | January 20, 1977 | October 1, 1979 | Margaret A. McKenna (1/1977 to 12/1979)
Joseph Onek (9/1979 to 1/1981) Michael Cardozo (10/1979 to 1/1981) |
Jimmy Carter | ||
| Lloyd Cutler | October 1, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | ||||
| Fred Fielding | January 20, 1981 | May 23, 1986 | Richard A. Hauser (3/1981 to 6/1986)
Herbert E. Ellingwood (1/1981 to ?) Jay B. Stephens (?/1986 to ?/1987) Phillip D. Brady (?/1988 to 1/1989) |
Ronald Reagan | ||
| Peter Wallison | May 23, 1986 | March 20, 1987 | ||||
| Arthur Culvahouse | March 20, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | ||||
| C. Boyden Gray | January 20, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | John P. Schmitz (1/1989 to 1/1993) | George H. W. Bush | ||
| Bernard Nussbaum | January 20, 1993 | March 8, 1994 | Vincent W. Foster (1/1993 to 7/1993)
Joel I. Klein (7/1993 to 3/1995) James Castello (3/1995 to ?) Kathleen Wallman (?/1996 to ?) Cheryl Mills (?/1996 to 8/1999) Bruce R. Lindsey (1/1993 to 1/2001) William P. Marshall (12/1999 to 1/2001)
|
Bill Clinton | ||
| Lloyd Cutler | March 8, 1994 | October 1, 1994 | ||||
| Abner Mikva | October 1, 1994 | November 1, 1995 | ||||
| Jack Quinn | November 1, 1995 | February 1997 | ||||
| Chuck Ruff | February 1997 | September 1999 | ||||
| Beth Nolan | September 1999 | January 20, 2001 | ||||
| Alberto Gonzales | January 20, 2001 | February 3, 2005 | Timothy E. Flanigan (1/2001 to 11/2002, 11/2004 to ?)
David G. Leitch (12/2002 to ?) William K. Kelley (3/2005 to 3/2007) J. Michael Farren (2/2007 to 10/2008) William Burck (10/2008 to 1/2009) Emmet Flood (10/2008 to 1/2009) |
George W. Bush | ||
| Harriet Miers | February 3, 2005 | January 31, 2007 | ||||
| Fred Fielding | January 31, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | ||||
| Greg Craig | January 20, 2009 | January 3, 2010 | Daniel Meltzer (1/2009 to 1/2010)
Mary DeRosa (1/2009 to 6/2011) Neal Wolin (1/2009 to 12/2009) Cassandra Butts (1/2009 to 1/2010) Kathryn Ruemmler (12/2009 to 6/2011) Caroline Cheng (12/2009 to 6/2011, 1/2013 to 12/2013) Christopher Fonzone (5/2014 to ?) Michael Bosworth (5/2014 to ?) Mark Aziz (5/2014 to ?) |
Barack Obama | ||
| Bob Bauer | January 3, 2010 | June 30, 2011 | ||||
| Kathryn Ruemmler | June 30, 2011 | June 2, 2014 | ||||
| Neil Eggleston | June 2, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | ||||
| Don McGahn | January 20, 2017 | October 17, 2018 | Annie Donaldson | Donald Trump | ||
| Emmet Flood |
October 18, 2018 | December 10, 2018 | ||||
| Pat Cipollone | December 10, 2018 | present |
See also
References
- ^ JOHNSON, ELIANA (December 4, 2018). "New White House counsel to arrive as Democrats, Mueller close in". Politico. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
External links
- Executive Office of the President
- Records of Thomas E. Stephens, White House Counsel, 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Diaries of Bernard M. Shanley, White House Counsel, 1953-1955, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Records of Gerald Morgan, White House Counsel, 1955-1958, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Records of David W. Kendall, White House Counsel, 1958-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
