Douglas Letter Explained

Doug Letter
Birth Name:	Douglas Neal Letter
Birth Date:	27 September 1953
Education:	Columbia University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD)

Douglas Neal Letter is an American attorney. He was general counsel to the United States House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022.^[1] He is now chief legal officer for .^[1] From 1978 to 2018, he was an attorney in the United States Department of Justice, ultimately serving as director of the appellate staff for the Civil Division.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

During a 2014 hearing before a federal court in which Letter was representing the United States Government in a lawsuit brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, he made headlines after providing erroneous information to judges regarding the legality of National Security Letters.^{[7] [5] [6]} The Justice Department later issued a written apology to the court for Letter's statement.^[5]

Letter received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in 1975 and his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1978.^[8]

See also

• Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (2019–2020)

Notes and References

1. News: Cheney. Kyle. Kyle Cheney (journalist). 21 January 2023. The House's legal lieutenant in its Trump wars speaks out — about Jan. 6 and more. Politico. 23 January 2023.
2. News: Johnson . Carrie . 40 Years Of Experience Walks Out The Door Of The Justice Department . July 9, 2019 . . March 12, 2018.
3. News: McNamara . Audrey . Nancy Pelosi Appoints Douglas Letter New General Counsel of the House . July 9, 2019 . . December 28, 2018.
4. News: Ruger . Todd . Unassuming House counsel is a key player in Trump-Congress fights . July 9, 2019 . Roll Call . June 10, 2019.
5. News: Mullin . Joe . DOJ admits its lawyer misled appeals court during oral argument . July 9, 2019 . . November 13, 2014.
6. News: Tuccille . J.D. . Justice Department Lied in Court About National Security Letters . July 9, 2019 . . November 14, 2014.
7. News: Sledge . Matt . Government Admits 'Misstatement' In Key Surveillance Lawsuit . July 9, 2019 . . November 13, 2014.
8. Web site: Article One Oversight and Executive Power: A Virtual Townhall with Douglas N. Letter, 75'CC, JD UC Berkeley '78. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200724132733/https://www.college.columbia.edu/events/event/article-one-oversight-and-executive-power-virtual-townhall-douglas-n-letter-75cc-jd-uc . 2020-07-24 . July 24, 2020. Columbia College.