Two lawyers who have played key roles in investigations into Donald Trump and his top allies are now under consideration for a crucial gig in his administration: White House counsel.
David Warrington, the general counsel for the Trump campaign; and Stanley Woodward, a defense lawyer who has represented many prominent Trump aides, are both in the mix, according to two people familiar with the transition team’s deliberations. Other candidates are also under consideration.
“President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon,” said Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”
Both men are also advising the transition on legal matters. Woodward and Warrington did not respond to requests for comment.
The White House counsel represents the presidency as an institution, helming a staff of lawyers who specialize in federal government operations. During the first Trump term, then-White House Counsel Don McGahn prioritized the appointment of young conservatives to the federal judiciary — one of the most enduring parts of Trump’s first four years.
Warrington, a partner at Dhillon Law Group, helped guide the Trump campaign through a maze of unprecedented political and legal challenges.
He represented Trump during the Jan. 6 select committee’s investigation, along with former national security advisor Michael Flynn, former White House personnel adviser Johnny McEntee, and “Stop the Steal” organizers Amy and Kylie Kremer. And Warrington represents Trump in ongoing civil lawsuits brought by members of Congress and police officers over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Previously, he was general counsel for Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign and advised the Trump campaign during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Woodward, once a big-law denizen specializing in complex civil litigation, has spent the last few years rising to prominence along with his law partner former House counsel Stan Brand. The pair represented Trump aide Dan Scavino before the Jan. 6 select committee and special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump and his allies’ effort to subvert the 2020 election.
Woodward also expanded his client roster to include other prominent Trump allies ensnared in related probes, including former adviser Kash Patel, former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and Trump’s body man Walt Nauta, who was charged alongside Trump in the Florida classified documents probe. Woodward played a role in fighting the Justice Department’s effort to access Rep. Scott Perry’s phone as part of the 2020 election probe.
Woodward has also represented several notable defendants who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including Kelly Meggs, a member of the Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy; and Ryan Samsel, who helped instigate the first breach of police lines that day.
