Trump appoints renowned lawyer Mark Paoletta as general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget
The legal expert will work closely with the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Mark Paoletta
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that Mark Paoletta, a prominent Washington lawyer, will resume the position of general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a post he held during the previous Trump administration. Paoletta will work closely with the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump underscored Paoletta's importance in fulfilling his vision of a more efficient and less bureaucratic administration. "Mark will work closely with our DOGE team to cut the size of our bloated Government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending," he said. He also noted that Paoletta is "a brilliant and tenacious lawyer" who played a crucial role in pushing his agenda during his first term.
Previous experience
Trump recalled some of Paoletta's accomplishments during his previous tenure as OMB general counsel, including his efforts to identify funds earmarked for building the southern border wall and his collaboration with then-OMB Director Russ Vought on reining in progressive and politicized government spending. Paoletta is currently a partner at the law firm Schaerr Jaffe and a senior fellow at the Center for American Renewal.
Paoletta, a leading figure in conservative legal circles, has a close relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas, whom he has described as "our greatest living American." He is the author of a book about Justice Thomas and represented his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Thomas, before the committee investigating the events on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021.
Criticism of the Department of Justice
Paoletta has recently expressed support for Trump's transition team, working on policy proposals for the Department of Justice. In October, he caused controversy by calling the Department of Justice "the most partisan and weaponized agency in history" in a social media post, reflecting his critical stance toward the institution.
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