On November 13, 2024, American President-elect Trump (Trump) announced on Tuesday night that William McGinley, who served as Secretary of the White House Cabinet in his first term, will become the White House Chief Legal Counsel.
In a statement, Trump said that as an external advisor responsible for election integrity for the Republican National Committee (RNC), McGinley played a “significant role” in his election victory.
“Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our ‘America First’ agenda, while also fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement,” Trump said.
McGinley is a renowned political lawyer who previously was a partner at two of the most powerful law firms in Washington, D.C. He also served as a Republican lawyer for many years, and although his current law firm is smaller in size, it boasts a highly respected team of political lawyers.
“He is not one to seek the limelight,” Jan Baran told CNN. Baran, a long-time conservative political lawyer in Washington, has known McGinley for over twenty years. They are currently both partners at the mid-sized law firm Holtzman Vogel.
Baran said, “I really don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him or has complained about him. He is a very amiable person. I have never seen him argue with clients or other lawyers in my dealings with him.”
Jessica Furst Johnson, another partner at Holtzman Vogel, has worked with McGinley for over a decade. She believes he is well-suited for a senior role in the Trump administration.
“Bill worked in the first Trump administration, so he knows what situations he will be facing… He is very well-suited for this role. He brings experience working with President-elect Trump and professional expertise honed in private practice,” she said.
During Trump’s first term in the White House, the role of Chief Legal Counsel was quite prominent, with more than one of Trump’s former White House legal advisors being asked to testify before Congress. Currently, Trump and his aides have indicated they may challenge some limits on executive power, making this role potentially even more crucial.
Trump is currently working diligently to swiftly assemble his cabinet before taking office in January. He must nominate leaders for 15 government agencies and other top executive positions that require Senate confirmation.
So far, he has chosen to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. He has also selected House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik as UN Ambassador and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel.
Other selected administration officials include former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, and Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles to serve as White House Chief of Staff.