Trump to name William McGinley to be White House counsel

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that William McGinley will be his White House counsel.

McGinley, a longtime presence in Republican legal circles, was White House Cabinet secretary during the first Trump administration. He resigned in 2019 and returned to private practice. He is a partner at Holtzman Vogel.

McGinley was hired this year as outside counsel on the Republican National Committee’s election integrity team, according to The New York Times. 

McGinley has worked with Don McGahn, Trump’s first White House counsel. The two men were partners at the Washington, D.C., law firm Patton Boggs before they left together in 2014 to join the rival firm Jones Day.

McGahn was hired to represent the first Trump campaign while he was working at Jones Day. The 2016 campaign also hired him to advise on delegate battles ahead of the Republican National Convention as the campaign faced the possibility of a challenge during the nominating process.

Trump praised McGinley in a statement Tuesday night, saying he played a major role in securing this year's election victory.

"Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement," Trump said.

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The White House counsel represents the presidency and serves as an adviser regarding legal and ethical questions. The counsel's office also advises the president on judicial selections and executive appointments.

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Another former Trump White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, was subpoenaed and cooperated with the House Jan. 6 committee. Cipollone was 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 testimony in 2022.

“Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, ‘Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy, keep in touch with me. We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen,’” Hutchinson testified.