Robert Bauer

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Bob Bauer

|image = BobBauer2.jpg

|office = Co-Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States

|alongside = Cristina M. Rodríguez

|president = Joe Biden

|term_start = April 9, 2021

|term_end = December 7, 2021

|predecessor = Position established

|successor = Position abolished

|office1 = White House Counsel

|president1 = Barack Obama

|term_start1 = January 3, 2010

|term_end1 = June 30, 2011

|predecessor1 = Greg Craig

|successor1 = Kathryn Ruemmler

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|2|22}}

|birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|spouse = Anita Dunn

|education = Harvard University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)

}}

Robert F. Bauer (born February 22, 1952) is an American attorney who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama.{{Cite web|url=https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=36322|title=Bob Bauer - Biography {{!}} NYU School of Law|website=its.law.nyu.edu|access-date=December 18, 2018|archive-date=December 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213034651/https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=36322|url-status=live}}

Early life and education

Born in New York City into a Jewish family, Bauer graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1970.{{cite news|last=Sheinman|first=Anna|date=October 29, 2012|title=Obama helps Jewish Chief of Staff keep Shabbat|work=The Jewish Chronicle|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/obama-helps-jewish-chief-of-staff-keep-shabbat-1.37698|url-status=live|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313130713/https://www.thejc.com/news/world/obama-helps-jewish-chief-of-staff-keep-shabbat-1.37698|archive-date=March 13, 2017}}{{Citation needed|reason=source says only that he's Jewish, not that he was born to a Jewish family, when or where|date=March 2025}} He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1973, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1976.

Career

Bauer was President Obama's personal attorney and the general counsel of the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign. He has also previously served as the general counsel to the Democratic National Committee,{{Cite web|url=https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/professionals/robert-bauer.html|title=Robert (Bob) Bauer|website=Perkins Coie|language=en|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203161528/https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/professionals/robert-bauer.html|url-status=live}} and had advised President Obama since 2005.

As general counsel for the 2008 campaign, Bauer asked the Justice Department to investigate the officers and donors of American Issues Project after it ran a negative ad about Obama.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323844804578528193656378164 |title=Cleta Mitchell: How to Investigate the IRS |last=Freeman |first=James |date=June 7, 2013 |work=Wall Street Journal |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-date=January 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117124930/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323844804578528193656378164 |url-status=live }}

In November 2009, he was named to be the next White House counsel,{{cite news|last=Ambindernov|first=Marc|date=November 12, 2009|title=White House Counsel: Craig Out, Bauer In|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/11/white-house-counsel-craig-out-bauer-in/30115/|url-status=live|access-date=June 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026214814/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/11/white-house-counsel-craig-out-bauer-in/30115/|archive-date=October 26, 2017}} upon the resignation of Gregory Craig.

On June 2, 2011, the White House Press Office stated that Bauer would be returning to private practice at Perkins Coie, and that principal deputy counsel to the President Kathryn Ruemmler (his deputy, in that office since January 2010 and before that since January 2009 as principal associate deputy U.S. attorney general) would succeed him. The position, because it is part of the Executive Office staff that personally advises thepPresident and is not an agency or Cabinet department or military head, does not require Senate confirmation despite the prominence of the office.

Bauer returned to private practice to again represent the president's election team and the Democratic National Committee. "Bob was a critical member of the White House team," Mr. Obama said. "He has exceptional judgment, wisdom, and intellect, and he will continue to be one of my close advisers."{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/06/wh-counsel-bauer-to-step-down-056100 |title=W.H. Counsel Bauer to step down |first1=Josh |last1=Gerstein |first2=Jennifer |last2=Epstein |website=Politico |access-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213095239/https://www.politico.com/story/2011/06/wh-counsel-bauer-to-step-down-056100 |url-status=live }}

Obama chose Bauer and Benjamin L. Ginsberg, a Republican, in 2013 to co-chair the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, a yearlong investigation into voting problems. Their findings, "The American Voting Experience: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration," were published in 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-lawyer/articles/voting-in-america-a-conversation-with-nathaniel-persily-robert-bauer-and-benjamin-ginsberg/|title=Voting in America: A Conversation with Nathaniel Persily, Robert Bauer, and Benjamin Ginsberg|website=Stanford Law School|date=June 2016 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-10|archive-date=November 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104194717/https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-lawyer/articles/voting-in-america-a-conversation-with-nathaniel-persily-robert-bauer-and-benjamin-ginsberg/|url-status=live}}

Bauer serves as Professor of the Practice and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at New York University School of Law. He teaches classes including "The Role of the Lawyer in Public Life" and "Political Reform".{{Cite web |url= https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=36322 |title= NYU School of Law |access-date= December 15, 2018 |archive-date= December 13, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181213034651/https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=36322 |url-status= live }}

Bauer assisted with vetting efforts for the selection of Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Ken|date=2020-04-30|title=Joe Biden Names Advisers to Oversee Search for Running Mate|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-biden-names-advisers-to-oversee-search-for-running-mate-11588239005|access-date=2020-05-01|issn=0099-9660}}

During the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign, Bauer participated in mock debate sessions with Biden, impersonating the Republican candidate Donald Trump.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-joe-biden-campaigns-michael-pence-ee021beed099a2cf8cbd1e28161740a1 |title=Biden, Trump take differing approaches to debate preparation |first=Steve |last=Peoples |publisher=AP News |date=September 27, 2020 |access-date=March 22, 2021 }} He played the role of Donald Trump again in debate preparation during the 2024 presidential campaign.{{Cite news |last=Pager |first=Tyler |date=2024-06-30 |title=Biden aides plotted debate strategy for months. Then it all collapsed. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/30/how-biden-debate-prep-led-to-damaging-event/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

Bauer serves as the co-chair of the bipartisan commission to study reforms to the US Supreme Court and the federal judiciary.[https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/27/biden-supreme-court-reform-463126

Personal life

Bauer is married to Anita Dunn, the former director of communications at the White House. He has four children, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/politics/13craig.html |title=Craig Steps Down as White House Lawyer |first=Jeff |last=Zeleny |work=The New York Times |date=November 13, 2009 |access-date=November 13, 2009 |archive-date=December 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229235630/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/politics/13craig.html |url-status=live }} In 2008, Bauer and Dunn were described as Washington's new "power couple" by Newsweek magazine.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/power-2009-new-lineup-washington-83165|title=Power 2009: The New Lineup in Washington|date=December 19, 2008|newspaper=Newsweek|language=en|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=October 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023185444/http://www.newsweek.com/power-2009-new-lineup-washington-83165|url-status=live}}

Bibliography

After Trump - Reconstructing the Presidency. Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith. Lawfare Institute/Lawfare Press. September 2020. {{ISBN|9781735480619|978-1-735-4806-0-2}}
The Unraveling - Reflections on Politics without Ethics and Democracy in Crisis. Bob Bauer. Rowman & Littlefield. June 2024. {{ISBN| 9781538191842|978-1-5381-9185-9}}