President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday appointed one of his personal lawyers, Will Scharf, as White House staff secretary — a low-profile but powerful role that controls the flow of paper into the Oval Office.
Scharf served on Trump’s legal team in his federal election interference case and his Supreme Court immunity case, and played a role in confirming Trump’s Supreme Court nominees Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. He has often appeared on TV to defend Trump — joining the list of incoming Trump administration officials who are regular cable guests.
Scharf unsuccessfully ran for attorney general of Missouri and lost the Republican primary in August. Both Scharf and his opponent, Andrew Bailey, were endorsed by Trump. Over the course of the campaign, Scharf leaned on his connections to Trump to amplify his message.
“Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a critical part of my White House team,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday.
In this role, Scharf will decide which memos, briefings and reports go to the president and who should give his opinion on issues and speeches.
