Pat Cipollone

Cipollone's father was an Italian immigrant and factory worker; his mother was a homemaker. He spent most of his childhood in the Bronx. The family moved to Northern Kentucky, where he graduated from Covington Catholic High School in 1984.{{cite news |title=Who knew? Trump's top White House attorney is Covington Catholic High School graduate |work=Cincinnati Enquirer |first=Jason |last=Williams |date=January 23, 2019 |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/22/covington-catholic-trumps-white-house-lawyer-went-kentucky-school/2650238002/ }} He graduated as class valedictorian from Fordham University in 1988, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political philosophy. He enrolled at the University of Chicago Law School, where he was managing editor of the University of Chicago Law Review, earning a Juris Doctor in 1991.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=4912635&privcapId=13501430|title=Pat A. Cipollone Executive Profile|website=Bloomberg News|publisher=S&P Global|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091501/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=4912635&privcapId=13501430|archive-date=October 14, 2018|access-date=October 13, 2018}}

Cipollone was a law clerk for Judge Danny Boggs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Cincinnati, Ohio) from 1991 to 1992, and served as an assistant to Attorney General William P. Barr from 1992 to 1993.{{cite news|last=Salama|first=Vivian|title=Trump Likely to Name Pat Cipollone as Next White House Counsel|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-likely-to-name-pat-cipollone-as-next-white-house-counsel-1539471560|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=October 13, 2018|access-date=October 13, 2018}}

He was a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, and prior to taking over as White House Counsel was a partner at Stein, Mitchell, Cipollone, Beato & Missner, where he practiced commercial litigation.{{cite web|title=Pat Cipollone profile|url=https://www.steinmitchell.com/lawyers-Pat-Cipollone.html|publisher=Stein, Mitchell, Cipollone, Beato & Missner|access-date=October 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915121008/https://www.steinmitchell.com/lawyers-Pat-Cipollone.html |archive-date=September 15, 2018}} His clients included President Donald Trump, Radio Ingraham LLC, and Sony Entertainment.{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2019/04/22/white-house-counsel-pat-cipollones-financial-disclosure-shows-6-7m-income/|title=White House Counsel Pat Cipollone's Financial Disclosure Shows $6.7M Income|date=April 22, 2019|first=Mike|last=Scarcella|website=National Law Journal|language=en|access-date=October 9, 2019}}

As of July 2022, Cipollone was a named partner of the Los Angeles law firm Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP d/b/a Ellis George Cipollone.{{cite web |title=Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien Annaguey LLP |url=https://egcfirm.com/ |website=egcfirm.com |publisher=Ellis George Cipollone O’Brien Annaguey LLP |access-date=8 July 2022}}

Cipollone's financial disclosure reported an income of $6.7 million in 2017–2018.{{Cite web|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/storage.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/29194401/CIPOLLONE-PAT_New-Entrant-ReportUnder-WH-Review-4.pdf |title=Cipollone, Pat_2019 New Entrant_Under WH Review.pdf|website=citizensforethics.org|access-date=October 9, 2019}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/12/white-house-counsel-pat-cipollone-hasnt-gotten-ethics-approval/ | title=Why can't the top White House lawyer get his financial disclosure approved? |date=December 13, 2019 |first=Russ |last=Choma |work=Mother Jones}}

{{Trump–Ukraine scandal}}

Cipollone was named White House Counsel by President Donald Trump in October 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/13/politics/trump-wh-counsel-pat-cipollone/index.html|title=Trump to name Pat Cipollone as White House counsel|last=Perez|first=Evan|date=October 13, 2018|website=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002175243/https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/13/politics/trump-wh-counsel-pat-cipollone/index.html|archive-date=October 2, 2019|access-date=October 13, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/a28cc17d27524050b37f4d91e087955e|title=Read the transcript of AP's interview with President Trump|date=October 17, 2018|website=AP NEWS|access-date=October 9, 2019}} He succeeded Don McGahn who left office on October 17, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/us/politics/don-mcgahn-leaves-trump-administration.html|title=McGahn, Soldier for Trump and Witness Against Him, Leaves White House|last1=Schmidt|first1=Michael S.|date=October 17, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 9, 2019|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Emmet Flood served as counsel until Cipollone's background security check was completed.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/17/politics/mcgahn-leaving-white-house-council/index.html|title=Don McGahn out as White House counsel, sources say|last=de Vogue|first=Ariane|date=October 18, 2018|website=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617110822/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/17/politics/mcgahn-leaving-white-house-council/index.html|archive-date=June 17, 2019|access-date=October 18, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/don-mcgahn-leaves-as-white-house-counsel-emmet-flood-steps-into-role|title=Don McGahn leaves as White House counsel, Emmet Flood steps into role|last=Betz|first=Bradford|date=October 18, 2018|website=Fox News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905090623/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/don-mcgahn-leaves-as-white-house-counsel-emmet-flood-steps-into-role|archive-date=September 5, 2019|access-date=October 18, 2018}} Cipollone officially assumed the role on December 10, 2018.{{cite news|last=Easley|first=Jonathan|title=The Hill's Morning Report — Trump shakes up staff with eye on 2020, Mueller probe|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/morning-report/420504-the-hills-morning-report|newspaper=The Hill|date=December 10, 2018|access-date=December 10, 2018}}

In his role as White House Counsel, Cipollone was the public face of the White House response to the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. In October 2019, he signed an eight-page letter to Democratic House leaders stating that the White House would not cooperate in any way with the inquiry. He laid out a broad view of executive authority and said that Democrats' actions violate "the Constitution, the rule of law, and every past precedent".{{cite news|url=https://games-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/7cb26618-e770-45ef-9c45-bdd5554ce201/note/9608d380-f0df-4e07-8b08-8f326b723626.pdf |first=Pat |last=Cipollone |title=Letter to House leadership |date=October 8, 2019 |work=Office of White House Counsel |via=The Washington Post |access-date=December 3, 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/us/politics/white-house-counsel-pat-cipollone-impeachment.html |title=As White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone Builds Case for Defiance on Impeachment |last=Williamson |first=Elizabeth |date=October 9, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 3, 2019}} This letter has been cited as evidence for the charge that President Trump was obstructing the House's impeachment inquiry.{{Cite web |last=Freifeld |first=Karen |date=January 21, 2020 |title=White House lawyer in Trump trial is both defender and key witness to events|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-impeachment-cipollone/white-house-lawyer-in-trump-trial-is-both-defender-and-key-witness-to-events-idINKBN1ZK1LO |website=Reuters }}

In December 2019, Cipollone wrote two letters in response to an invitation from Jerry Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, for the White House or Trump himself to participate in its hearings. He said the White House and Trump would not participate because the planned hearings do not "provide the president with any semblance of a fair process" and the inquiry is "completely baseless".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/us/politics/trump-impeachment-hearing.html?te=1&nl=impeachment-briefing&emc=edit_ib_20191202?campaign_id=140&instance_id=14218&segment_id=19231&user_id=e9848bda5d7546386411f6e2fbdaf95e®i_id=1615347420191202|title=Trump's Lawyers Won't Participate in Impeachment Hearing on Wednesday|last=Cochrane|first=Emily|date=December 1, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/us/politics/white-house-signals-trump-wont-mount-house-impeachment-defense.html?campaign_id=60&instance_id=0&segment_id=19375&user_id=e9848bda5d7546386411f6e2fbdaf95e®i_id=16153474ing-news|title=White House Signals Trump Won't Mount House Impeachment Defense|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|last2=Fandos|first2=Nicholas|date=December 6, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019}}

On January 14, 2020, Cipollone was named to the team of attorneys representing President Donald Trump in the impeachment hearing case.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-impeachment-trial-defense-team-who-are-the-lawyers-defending-the-president|title=Trump's impeachment trial team: Who are the lawyers defending the president?|last=O'Reilly|first=Andrew|date=January 14, 2020|website=Fox News|language=en-US|access-date=January 15, 2020}}

On January 31, 2020, it was reported that Cipollone was present at a May 2019 White House meeting where President Trump directed his national security adviser John Bolton to "extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/us/politics/trump-bolton-ukraine.html|title=Trump Told Bolton to Help His Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Book Says|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|date=2020-01-31|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-01-31|last2=Schmidt|first2=Michael S.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In January 2021, Cipollone was present at a White House meeting where he reportedly argued against a proposal to replace acting attorney general Jeffrey A. Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, the acting head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. Clark, unlike Rosen, was willing to pursue Trump's baseless claims of election fraud and help Trump overturn the 2020 election results. Specifically, Clark wanted to send a letter to Georgia state legislators urging them to void Biden's win in their state, and Cipollone strongly objected to this. One official later said, "Pat pretty much saved Rosen's job that day."{{Cite news|last1=Zapotosky|first1=Matt|last2=Barrett|first2=Devlin|last3=Leonnig|first3=Carol D.|title=Trump entertained plan to install an attorney general who would help him pursue baseless election fraud claims|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-justice-department-overturn-election/2021/01/22/b7f0b9fa-5d1c-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html |date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=2021-01-23|issn=0190-8286}}

While Trump pursued schemes to stay in power that led to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Cipollone and members of his team threatened to resign on principle. On March 31, 2022, Jared Kushner told the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack that he had been aware of Cipollone's objections but that he had dismissed and ignored them as mere "whining". The tape of Kushner's interview was revealed at the committee's first public hearing on June 9, 2022.{{Cite news |last=Haberman |first=Maggie |date=2022-06-10 |title=Jared and Ivanka, Without the Power or the Masks |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/jared-ivanka-jan-6.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}}

Cipollone's comments and actions during his final days as Trump's White House Counsel have played a key role in the January 6 committee hearings, specifically the committee's sixth hearing.

On June 28, 2022, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Cipollone discussed potential criminal legal exposure for Trump's planned rally on January 6. "Pat was concerned it would look like we were obstructing justice or obstructing the Electoral College count", she testified, "that it would look like we were obstructing what was happening on Capitol Hill."{{cite web |access-date=6 October 2023 |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108396692/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript |title=Here's every word from the sixth Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation |website=NPR | date=June 28, 2022 }} Obstructing an official proceeding is a felony under U.S. law, and as part of a dispute with John Eastman, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled with the committee, stating "the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress."{{cite web |first=Ronn |last=Blitzer |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-says-trump-likely-violated-federal-obstruction-statute |title=Federal judge says Trump 'likely' violated federal obstruction statute |website=Fox News |date=March 28, 2022 |access-date=6 October 2023}}

"We had conversations about potentially obstructing justice or defrauding the electoral count", Hutchinson testified about discussions with Cipollone.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Carter's ruling also cited "conspiracy to defraud the United States", by circumventing the Electoral Count Act.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Hutchinson testified to being present for dramatic conversations between Cipollone and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on January 6, with Hutchinson quoting Cipollone as saying "Mark, something needs to be done or people are going to die and the blood is going to be on your f'ing hands." Hutchinson quoted Cipollone as saying, "Mark, we need to do something more. They're literally calling for the vice president to be f'ing hung", with Meadows responding "you heard [the president], Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong."

Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney repeatedly called for Cipollone to testify before the committee, saying a week before Hutchinson's testimony “our evidence shows that Pat Cipollone and his office tried to do what was right" and spoke for the committee stating "we think the American people deserve to hear from Mr. Cipollone personally. He should appear before this committee."{{cite web |work=The Hill |first=Brett |last=Samuels |access-date=6 October 2023 |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3531607-cheney-calls-on-ex-white-house-lawyer-to-testify-before-jan-6-panel/ |title=Cheney calls on ex-White House lawyer to testify before Jan. 6 panel |date=June 21, 2022 }} Cipollone's distant predecessor as White House Counsel, John Dean, a former Republican who had served in the Nixon administration during the Watergate scandal, called on Cipollone to follow his example and testify about Trump to Congress.{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/06/21/john-dean-pat-cipollone-trump-white-house-2022-january-6-hearings-lead-vpx.cnn |title=Hear John Dean's direct message to ex-Trump White House lawyer - CNN Video |website=CNN |date=June 21, 2022 }} Cipollone was issued a public subpoena to testify before the committee the day after Hutchinson's testimony.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/29/jan-6-committee-subpoenas-former-white-house-counsel-pat-cipollone/ |title=Jan. 6 committee subpoenas former White House counsel Pat Cipollone |date=2022-06-30 |author1=Jacqueline Alemany |author2=Josh Dawsey |newspaper=The Washington Post |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}} Cipollone complied with the subpoena, meeting with the committee for a videotaped deposition on July 8.{{cite news |last1=Broadwater |first1=Luke |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |title=Jan. 6 Panel Questions Cipollone on Pardons and Trump's Election Claims |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/us/politics/pat-cipollone-jan-6-trump.html |website=New York Times |date=July 9, 2022 |access-date=11 July 2022}}

On August 2, 2022, Cipollone was subpoenaed by the Justice Department as part of its investigation into the January 6 United States Capitol attack.{{cite web |date=3 August 2022 |first=Katherine |last=Faulders |first2=John |last2=Santucci |first3=Alexander |last3=Mallin |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-counsel-subpoenaed-federal-grand-jury-investigating/story?id=87845397 |title=Ex-White House counsel subpoenaed by federal grand jury investigating Jan. 6 attack |website=ABC News |access-date=6 October 2023 }}

Cipollone is a Roman Catholic, a founding member of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and a board member of the Catholic Information Center.{{cite web |last1=Laviola |first1=Erin |title=Pat Cipollone: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/pat-cipollone/ |website=heavy.com |access-date=January 23, 2019|date=October 14, 2018 }} Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham credited Cipollone with helping her convert to Catholicism in 2002.{{cite news|last=Leonnig|first=Carol D.|title=Trump has chosen Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone as next White House counsel, people familiar with decision say|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/washington-lawyer-pat-cipollone-emerging-as-trumps-pick-for-white-house-counsel-person-familiar-with-decision-says/2018/10/13/f3d54d3a-cf18-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f_story.html|newspaper=Washington Post|date=October 13, 2018|access-date=October 13, 2018}}{{cite web|title=Q&A with Laura Ingraham|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?190221-1/qa-laura-ingraham&start=2622&transcriptQuery=pat|publisher=C-SPAN|date=December 5, 2005|access-date=October 13, 2018}}{{Cite web |title=How Radio Star Talked Her Way Into the Church |first=Judy |last=Roberts |url=https://www.ncregister.com/interview/how-radio-star-talked-her-way-into-the-church |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=NCR |date=February 29, 2004 |language=en}} He has ten children.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/23/790227250/trump-impeachment-trial-turns-spotlight-on-white-house-lawyer-cipollone|title=Trump Impeachment Trial Turns Spotlight On White House Lawyer Cipollone|first=Franco|last=Ordoñez|date=December 23, 2019|website=NPR}} One of Cipollone's daughters worked as a booker for The Ingraham Angle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.steinmitchell.com/media-news-75.html|title=Former Stein Mitchell Partner Touted as White House Counsel Problem Solver |first=Andrew |last=Strickler |date=May 22, 2019 |website=Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP |access-date=January 20, 2020}}

• Trump–Ukraine scandal

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.steinmitchell.com/lawyers-Pat-Cipollone.html Stein, Mitchell, Cipollone, Beato & Missner profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915121008/https://www.steinmitchell.com/lawyers-Pat-Cipollone.html |date=September 15, 2018 }}
• {{C-SPAN|124455}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-legal}}

{{s-bef|before=Emmet Flood
{{small|Acting}}}}

{{s-ttl|title=White House Counsel|years=2018–2021}}

{{s-aft|after=Dana Remus}}

{{s-end}}

{{White House Counsels}}

{{First impeachment and impeachment trial of Donald Trump}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cipollone, Pat}}

Category:1966 births

category:Living people

Category:20th-century American lawyers

Category:20th-century Roman Catholics

Category:21st-century American lawyers

Category:21st-century Roman Catholics

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:American Roman Catholics

Category:Catholics from Illinois

Category:Covington Catholic High School alumni

Category:Donald Trump attorneys

Category:Fordham University alumni

Category:Illinois Republicans

Category:Members of the defense counsel for the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump

Category:People associated with Kirkland & Ellis

Category:First Trump administration personnel

Category:University of Chicago Law School alumni

Category:White House counsels