WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that William McGinley will serve as White House counsel in his administration.
McGinley was a longtime presence in Republican legal circles and served as White House Cabinet Secretary during the first Trump administration. He resigned in 2019 and returned to private practice. He is currently a partner at Holtzman Vogel.
According to The New York Times, McGinley was hired earlier this year to work as an outside adviser on the Republican National Committee’s election integrity team.
McGinley has worked with Don McGahn, Trump’s top White House counsel. The two men were partners at the Washington, DC law firm Patton Boggs before leaving together in 2014 to join rival firm Jones Day.
McGahn was hired to represent the first Trump campaign while working at Jones Day. McGinley was also hired by the 2016 campaign to advise on delegate battles ahead of the Republican National Convention as the campaign encountered a challenge during the nomination process.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Trump praised McGinley, calling him a “tenacious advocate” and saying he played a key role in securing this year’s election victory.
“Bill is a smart and tenacious attorney who will help me advance our America First agenda as we fight for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement,” Trump said.
The White House Counsel represents the presidency and serves as an advisor on legal and ethical issues. The Office of the Counsel also advises the President on judicial selections and appointments of directors.
Pat Cipollone, a former White House counsel, was subpoenaed and cooperated with the House committee. Cipollone is said to have tried to rein in Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Cipollone told former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to stop Trump from going to the Capitol that day, according to Hutchinson’s 2022 testimony.
“Mr. Cipollone said something along the lines of, “Please make sure we don’t go to the Capitol, Cassidy, keep in touch with me. We will be charged with every crime imaginable if we enable that move,” Hutchinson testified.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
