| Mark Paoletta | |
| Office: | General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget |
| President: | Donald Trump |
| Term Start: | January 8, 2018 |
| Term End: | January 20, 2021 |
| Predecessor: | James W. Carroll |
| Successor: | Samuel Bagenstos |
| Office1: | Counsel to the Vice President |
| Vicepresident1: | Mike Pence |
| Term Start1: | January 20, 2017 |
| Term End1: | January 5, 2018 |
| Predecessor1: | John McGrail |
| Successor1: | Matt Morgan |
| Party: | Republican |
| Education: | Duquesne University (BS) Georgetown University (JD) |
Mark Paoletta is an American attorney who notably served in roles in the Donald Trump administration. From January 8, 2018, to January 20, 2021, Paoletta served as general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to this, Paoletta served as chief counsel and assistant to Vice President Mike Pence from January 20, 2017, to January 5, 2018.[1]
Paoletta is a close friend and associate of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas.[2] He helped participate in Justice Thomas's successful confirmation to the Supreme Court in 1991.[3] Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Paoletta represented Ginni Thomas' interactions with the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[4] Throughout his legal career, Paoletta has specialized in representing clients in congressional investigations.[5] [6]
Paoletta received a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.[7]
Paoletta served as Assistant Counsel to the President during the George H. W. Bush administration, where he played a key role in the successful confirmation effort of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Paoletta subsequently created a website to promote Thomas's autobiography, My Grandfather's Son, as well as positive stories by others about Thomas.[8]
Paoletta served as Chief Counsel for Oversight and Investigations for the House Energy and Commerce Committee from September 1997 until January 2007.[9] In this role, Paoletta managed nearly 200 investigative hearings.
In a report released in February 2007, Congressman Joe Barton (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released a compilation of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee's work from 2001 through 2006 that served "as a road map through many of the great government and corporate scandals of this decade."[10] [11]
In 2007, Paoletta became partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm DLA Piper and partner in the firm's Federal Law and Policy practice. He has represented numerous companies and individuals, including a major hedge funds and foreign and domestic banks, according to Bisnow Media.[12]
See main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. Paoletta has represented Scott Jennings, a former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, in connection with the various investigations into the firings of U.S. Attorneys. In 2007, Paoletta appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee as counsel for Scott Jennings, who had been directed by President Bush to not answer certain questions based on an assertion of executive privilege.
In a letter to Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senator Arlen Specter, White House Counsel Fred F. Fielding indicated that President Bush would assert executive privilege regarding Jennings' testimony. The letter indicates that Jennings was made aware of the President's decision and was directed not to provide any testimony covered by the assertion.[13]
In November 2007, Paoletta was selected to serve as outside counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007.[14] [15] [16]
Paoletta's work representing strength trainer Brian McNamee in the 2008 United States Congressional hearing on Roger Clemens was highlighted in the book, by Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keeffe, and Christian Red.[17]
On January 5, 2017, Paoletta along with then Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, and Don McGahn helped Donald Trump vet Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. On January 25, 2017, Paoletta was named as chief counsel and assistant to the Vice President.[18] In January 2018, Paoletta left the Vice President's office to become the General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
During the Trump administration, Paoletta was described as a "hard-charging conservative lawyer little known to the public" by The Washington Post. In his role, Paoletta overruled objections from officials at both the OMB and the Department of Defense to delay U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.
The Washington Post also reported that Paoletta helped craft the Trump administration's legal justifications to restrict billions of dollars worth of disaster aid to Puerto Rico. Additionally, Paoletta reportedly helped build the Trump administration's legal reasoning behind its effort to divert funding for the Department of Defense to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.[19]
Paoletta's work in the Enron investigation was highlighted in the book Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story, by Kurt Eichenwald.[20] Paoletta wrote about his work on the Committee in a February 5, 2007 article in Roll Call.[21] Paoletta also co-authored a piece entitled "Storm Clouds on the Horizon – Congressional Investigations 101."[22]