David Addington
David Addington | |
---|---|
Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States | |
In office November 1, 2005 – January 20, 2009 | |
Vice President | Dick Cheney |
Preceded by | Scooter Libby |
Succeeded by | Ron Klain |
General Counsel of the Department of Defense | |
In office August 12, 1992 – January 20, 1993 | |
President | George H. W. Bush |
Preceded by | Paul Beach (Acting) |
Succeeded by | John McNeil (Acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | David Spears Addington January 22, 1957 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Education | Georgetown University (BS) Duke University (JD) |
David Spears Addington (born January 22, 1957) is an American lawyer who was legal counsel (2001–2005) and chief of staff (2005–2009) to Vice President Dick Cheney.[1] He was the vice president of domestic and economic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation from 2010[2][3][4][5] to 2016.[6]
During 21 years of
Early life and education
Addington was born in Washington, D.C., the first son of Eleanore "Billie" (Flaherty) and the late Jerry Spears Addington, a retired brigadier general and West Point graduate.[10][11]
The Addington family moved often and there were periods during which Jerry was posted overseas while his family remained stateside. After David's birth in 1957 in Washington, D.C., his father was posted to Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania, Camp St. Barbara in South Korea, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oakdale, Pennsylvania, and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where Addington lived during his father's 1967–1969 assignment as chief of the United States Military Training Mission. In this role, the elder Addington, who was promoted to brigadier general in 1965, was responsible for U.S. training and security assistance programs for the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia. During the family's two-year stay in Saudi Arabia, David Addington (then 10 and 11 years old) was a student at American School Dhahran on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate.[12]
Addington graduated from
Career
Addington was an assistant general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1981 to 1984.[16]
From 1984 to 1987 he was counsel for the
Addington was also a special assistant for legislative affairs to President Ronald Reagan for one year in 1987, before becoming Reagan's deputy assistant. From 1989 to 1992, Addington served as special assistant to Cheney, who was then the secretary of defense, before being appointed by President George H. W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate as the Department of Defense's general counsel in 1992.[21] In 1993 and 1994, Addington was the Republican staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee. In 1994 and 1995, he headed a political action committee, the Alliance for American Leadership, set up to support Republican candidates for public office, with a principal focus on being a presidential exploratory committee for Cheney, as the former Defense Secretary contemplated running for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination.[22]
From 1995 to 2001, he worked in private practice, for law firms Baker Donelson and Holland & Knight, and the American Trucking Associations.[23] He also provided extensive assistance to Dick Cheney when the latter was chief executive officer of Halliburton and was in charge of vetting potential presidential running mates for the George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign, before he was officially his party's nominee for the White House and surprised many political observers by choosing Cheney himself to be his running mate.[24]
Bush administration
As counsel to the vice president, Addington's duties involved protecting the legal interests of the Office of the Vice President. Although limited duties have been given under the Constitution, each vice president has a role in association with the president.
As chief of staff, Addington supervised the vice president's staff. In both roles, Addington also provided advice to the White House staff, as he had the additional role of
After he began working for Cheney, Addington was influential in numerous policy areas. He provided advice and drafted memoranda on many of the most controversial policies of the
Addington has consistently advocated that under the
A declassified CIA congressional briefing memo of February 4, 2003 states "The (CIA) General Counsel described the process by which the (enhanced interrogation) techniques were approved by a bevy of lawyers from the NSC, the Vice President’s office and the Justice Department," which makes it likely that Addington was aware of the coercive methods if not one or more of the "
US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Colin Powell's chief of staff when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—at the same time Addington was Cheney's personal counsel as Secretary of Defense—and then later when Powell was Secretary of State, stated in an in-depth interview regarding extraordinary measures taken post 9/11: "The man who, to me, brings all of this together more than Cheney himself, because he has one foot in the legal camp—and I must admit it's a fairly brilliant foot—and he has one foot in the operator camp, that's David Addington."[34]
Press reports also state that Addington reportedly took a leading role in pressing for the use of torture (so-called "
Some press reports indicate that Addington advocated scaling back the authority of lawyers in the uniformed services; Addington in fact advocated merely[
Shortly after September 26, 2002, a
In November 2006, the German government received a complaint seeking the prosecution of Addington and 15 other current and former US government officials for alleged war crimes.[40] The German Prosecutor General at the Federal Supreme Court declined to initiate proceedings on the complaint.[41]
According to
Former Secretary of State
It is alleged, at least during Cheney's term as
Although press reports state that Addington consistently advocated the expansion of presidential powers and the
Addington, along with other officials, was mentioned by title in
Human Rights Watch and The New York Times editorial board have called for the investigation and prosecution of Addington "for conspiracy to torture as well as other crimes."[62][63]
Spanish charges considered
In March 2009 Baltasar Garzón, a Spanish judge who has considered international war crimes charges against other high-profile figures, considered whether to allow charges made by Gonzalo Boye to be laid against Addington and five other former officials of the George W. Bush presidency.[64]
Judge Garzon did not dismiss the complaint, but instead ordered the complaint assigned by lottery to another judge, who will then decide whether to pursue the complaint or not.[65][needs update] Spanish Attorney General Cándido Conde-Pumpido "strongly criticized" the proceedings, labeling them a legal "artifice."[66] Conde-Pumpido recommended against prosecution due to lack of material responsibility on the part of the American officials.[67]
Later career
On April 13, 2013, Addington was on a list released by the
Addington worked as group vice president for research at The Heritage Foundation and as senior vice president, general counsel, and chief legal officer at the National Federation of Independent Business.[69]
Personal life
Addington is married to Cynthia Mary Addington; the couple have three children. Previously, Addington had been married to Linda Werling, whom he met while the two were both attending Duke University.[10]
In popular culture
In the 2018 film Vice, Addington is portrayed by Don McManus. He was also featured in the 2013 documentary, The World According to Dick Cheney, and Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, a 2021 Netflix documentary series.[70]
References
- ^ Dreyfuss, Robert (April 17, 2006). "Vice Squad". The American Prospect. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
- ^ Heilbrunn, Jacob (August 30, 2010). "David Addingtons Return to Power". The National Interest. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (August 31, 2010). "Making a Mockery of Advocating Limited Government". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jack (September 6, 2010). "Addington to Heritage". Lawfare. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ Victor, Kirk (May 2011). "David S. Addington: A Second Act". Washingtonian. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ "Heritage Welcomes Senate Aide and Academic James Wallner as New Head of Research". The Heritage Foundation. July 1, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- National Archives.
- ^ Olbermann, Keith (November 4, 2005). "Cheney's new chief of staff controversial". NBC News.
- ^ a b Chitra Ragavan (May 29, 2006). "Cheney's Guy". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on June 2, 2006.
- ^ Taps: A Supplement to Assembly Magazine. Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. June 14, 2004 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Jerry S. Addington 1940". Archived from the original on December 14, 2017.
- ^ "Cheney Aide, Sandia Grad Gets Roughed Up by Washington Post - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0160399787.
- ^ "Statement by President Reagan". April 18, 1988. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008.
- ^ Blumenthal, Sidney (2007). "The Sad Decline of Michael Mukasey". Salon.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
- ^ Wilentz, Sean (July 9, 2007). "Opinion | Mr. Cheney's Minority Report". The New York Times.
- ^ Khanna, Satyam (October 9, 2007). "Charlie Savage: Cheney Plotted Bush's Imperial Presidency 'Thirty Years Ago'". ThinkProgress. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn (March 31, 2011). "Obama's new view of his own war powers". Salon.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hearing on "From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules (Part III)" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2009.
Serial No. 110-189, 110th Cong., 2d Sess.,
- ^ Savage, Charlie (November 26, 2006). "Hail to the chief: Dick Cheney's mission to expand – or 'restore' – the powers of the presidency". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
- ^ Hagan, Joe (March 7, 2010). "The Cheney Government in Exile". New York Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Murray Waas; Paul Singer (October 30, 2005). "Addington's Role In Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention". National Journal. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008.
- ^ Horton, Scott (September 18, 2008). "Six Questions for Bart Gellman, Author of Angler". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
- ^ Walker v. Cheney, 230 F. Supp. 2d 51 (D.D.C. 2002) (GAO); Cheney v. U.S. District Court, 542 U.S. 367 (2004) and In re Cheney, 406 F.3d 723 (D.C. Cir. 2005) (Judicial Watch); In re Richard B. Cheney, Vice President, No. 08-5412 (D.C. Cir. 2008) (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington).
- ^ Dana Milbank (October 11, 2004). "In Cheney's Shadow, Counsel Pushes the Conservative Cause". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Statement of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michelle Boardman before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Presidential Signing Statements". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. June 27, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2019 – via fas.org.
- National Archives.
- ^ Emily Brazelon (November 18, 2007). "All the President's Powers". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
- ^ Lindley, Robin (January 7, 2008). "The Return of the Imperial Presidency: An Interview with Charlie Savage". History News Network. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
- better source needed]
- ^ Douglas Jehl; Tim Golden (November 2, 2005). "In Cheney's New Chief, a Bureaucratic Master". The New York Times.
- ISBN 9781555847630.
- ^ Andy Worthington (August 24, 2009). "An Interview with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Part 2". The Future of Freedom Foundation. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ Phillipe Sands (May 2008). "The Green Light". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
- ^ "Letter from Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. to Senator John. D. Rockefeller IV" (PDF). April 17, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2009.
Release of Declassified Narrative Describing the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel's Opinion on the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program
- ^ Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Second Session, 102d Congress, Committee on Armed Services (Hearing on nomination of David S. Addington to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense) (Report). July 1, 1992. pp. 322–29.
- ISBN 9780307456502.
- ^ ISBN 9780393335330.
- ^ "German War Crimes Complaint Against Donald Rumsfeld, et al". Center for Constitutional Rights. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ^ "Re: Criminal Complaint against Donald Rumsfeld et al., 3 ARP 156/06-2" (PDF). Prosecutor General at the Federal Supreme Court. April 5, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Jeffrey Rosen (September 7, 2007). "Conscience of a Conservative". The New York Times.
- ^ Barton Gelman (September 14, 2008). "Conflict Over Spying Led White House to Brink". The Washington Post.
- ^ "To What Extent Did the Government Monitor Phone, Internet Activity After 9/11?". Newshour. PBS. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "NSA inspector general report on email and internet data collection under Stellar Wind – full document". The Guardian. June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ Corey Adwar (May 15, 2014). "Here's The Most Surprising Revelation From An Eye-Opening Documentary On NSA Spying". Business Insider.
- ^ "Addington and the Question of Intent". Secrecy News. Federation of American Scientists. June 28, 2007.
- ^ "Letter from Fred F. Fielding, Counsel to the President, to Senator Sam Brownback" (PDF). July 12, 2007.
- ^ Isikoff, Michael (December 24, 2007). "Challenging Cheney". Newsweek. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ "Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Columbia. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2008.
- ^ "Plaintiff's Opposition to Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Columbia. October 1, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2008.
- ^ "In re Richard B. Cheney, Vice President, No. 08-5412". D.C. Cir. 2008.
- ^ "Indictment" (PDF). United States of America vs. I. Lewis Libby, also known as "Scooter Libby. United States Department of Justice. October 28, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ Daniel Klaidman; Stuart Taylor, Jr.; Evan Thomas (February 6, 2006). "Palace Revolt". Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006.
- ^ Waas, M., ed., The United States v. I. Lewis Libby, New York: Union Square Press (2007), pp. 174–95.
- ^ "Cheney's Law". Public Broadcasting System. October 16, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Dan Eggen (June 27, 2008). "Bush Policy Authors Defend Their Actions". The Washington Post.
- ^ Shane, Scott (June 27, 2008). "Two Testify on Memo Spelling Out Interrogation". The New York Times.
- ^ Dana Milbank (June 27, 2008). "When Anonymity Fails, Be Nasty, Brutish and Short". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Addington, Yoo Offer Little in House Torture Hearing". Democracy Now!.
- ^ "From The Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules (Part III)". www.govinfo.gov.
- ^ "No More Excuses: A Roadmap to Justice for CIA Torture". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. December 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "Prosecute Torturers and Their Bosses". The New York Times. December 21, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ^ Rucinski, Tracy (March 28, 2009). "Spain may decide Guantanamo probe this week". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
- ^ Webb, Jason (April 7, 2009). "Spanish Judge Keeps Guantanamo Probe Alive". Reuters. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Simons, Marlise (April 16, 2009). "Spain's Attorney General Opposes Prosecutions of 6 Bush Officials on Allowing Torture". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Spain Attorney General Against Guantanamo Probe". Reuters. April 16, 2009.
- ^ "Russia bans 18 Americans after similar US move". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ "David S. Addington". NFIB. June 27, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "David Addington". IMDb. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
External links
- "Pushing the Limit on Presidential Powers," by Barton Gellman and Jo Becker, The Washington Post, Monday, June 25, 2007
- Eskin, Blaine (July 3, 2006). "Cheney's Cheney: Q&A with Jane Mayer about her David Addington article". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- Gross, Terry (July 5, 2006). "David Addington and 'Hidden Power'". Fresh Air. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- David Addington's campaign contributions
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 'Democracy Now!' coverage of Addington's appointment as chief of staff for Vice-President Dick Cheney and his role in the expansion of presidential power
- "50 Most Powerful People in D.C.", GQ Magazine, August 2007
- "Letter from Addington as OVP general counsel to operator of parody website". December 12, 2002. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- Cole, David (December 6, 2007). "The Man Behind the Torture". New York Review of Books. 54 (19). Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- Herbert, Bob (July 22, 2008). "Madness and Shame". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- Reports and commentaries by David Addington, The Heritage Foundation