David Warrington

Branch: ExecutiveAgency or Office Type: Executive Office of the PresidentAgency or Office: White House OfficeAppointment Status: Direct AppointeeRisk(s): Partisan Rule of Law, Democratic Backsliding

Announced as Trump’s pick for White House Counsel

After initially announcing Bill McGinley as incoming White House Counsel, Donald Trump abruptly swapped him out with his personal attorney David Warrington. Warrington served as general counsel to Trump’s 2024 campaign and represented Trump before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He also advised Trump’s campaign at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

In addition to Trump, Warrington represented several other individuals before the January 6th Select Committee, including Michael Flynn, John McEntee, and “Stop the Steal” organizers Amy and Kylie Kremer. When the Select Subcommittee subpoenaed Trump and released the subpoena publicly, Warrington accused the committee of “flouting norms,” calling it “unprecedented.” Trump ultimately refused to testify, defying the subpoena.

Warrington also represented Trump in civil lawsuits brought by members of Congress and police officers stemming from the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Additionally, after ProPublica published an article detailing how “[n]ine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits” from entities connected to Trump, Warrington sent ProPublica “a cease-and-desist letter demanding [the] article not be published. The letter warned that if the outlet and its reporters ‘continue their reckless campaign of defamation, President Trump will evaluate all legal remedies.’” Warrington also sent a cease-and-desist letter to the makers of the film “The Apprentice,” calling the movie “a concoction of lies that repeatedly defames President Trump and constitutes direct foreign interference in America’s elections.”

Warrington was part of the legal team that successfully appealed Trump’s “disqualification from the Colorado presidential ballot over his role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021,” to the Supreme Court. And after President Joe Biden stepped down, Warrington filed a complaint with the FEC seeking to prevent the transfer of his campaign funds to Kamala Harris.

As White House Counsel, Warrington will advise “on all legal aspects of policy questions,” including overseeing appointments to the judicial and executive branches, ethics questions, legislative issues, presidential pardons, and “lawsuits against the President in his role as President.” In a 2018 op-ed in The Hill, Warrington praised White House Counsel Don McGahn’s work shredding regulations and appointing right-wing justices to the bench, stating “the American people should acknowledge the far-reaching legacy of Don McGahn and be grateful for his dedicated service.” Per The New York Times, McGahn was responsible for “push[ing] through lifetime appointments for more than 100 conservative judges, including the successful nominations of Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.”

Warrington is currently a partner at the Dhillon Law Group, which is run by Republican lawyer Harmeet Dhillon. Dhillon is the presumptive nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Dhillon, a former Republican National Committee member who unsuccessfully challenged Ronna McDaniel for the chair of the RNC, was a legal advisor for Trump’s 2020 campaign who called on the Supreme Court “to step in and do something” to ensure Trump’s victory. The Dhillon Law Group has been involved in lawsuits in several states challenging voting rights laws and has represented election deniers like Kari Lake. During the 2024 election, both Warrington and Dhillon were involved in the Trump campaign’s legal efforts regarding “election integrity,” with Dhillon spearheading election integrity efforts in Arizona and Warrington working on “lawsuits, including one in Michigan challenging the designation of voter registration agencies.”

Warrington was the president of the Republican National Lawyers Association from 2019 to 2020. While he was president, the RNLA consistently advocated for Trump’s Supreme Court picks. Warrington is a Federalist Society contributor and is the Chairman of the Board for the National Foundation for Gun Rights.