President-elect Donald Trump has tapped William McGinley for White House General Counsel. The role serves as the point legal adviser for the president in regards to ethics, oversight and judicial nominations. The general counsel also is the point of contact between the White House and the Justice Department.
McGinley is a longtime election attorney, who served as cabinet secretary during Trump's first term. During the 2024 election, he took on a new role as outside counsel for election integrity at the Republican National Committee.
"Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement," Trump said in a statement announcing the role.
The role of White House counsel proved crucial to congressional oversight and other outside pressure during the first Trump administration.
Then-Counsel Don McGahn became a key witness during the Russia investigation on Capitol Hill. McGahn testified before lawmakers that he felt pressure from Trump to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who was investigating connections between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
It took two years to get his testimony because the White House argued his role granted him immunity.
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