David Addington
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David S. Addington (b. January 22, 1957, Washington, D.C.), chief of staff and former legal counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney. He was appointed to replace Lewis "Scooter" Libby as Cheney's chief of staff upon Libby's resignation on October 28, 2005.[1] He was described by U.S. News and World Report as "the most powerful man you've never heard of".[2]
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[edit] Family
Married to Cynthia Mary Smith Addington (born February 6, 1958). The two have three children.
[edit] Education and career
Addington graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1974. He is a graduate of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law.
Addington was assistant general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 to 1987 he was counsel for the House committees on intelligence and international relations. Addington was also a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan for one year in 1987, before becoming Reagan's deputy assistant. He was Republican counsel on the Iran-Contra committee in the 1980's. From 1989 to 1992, Addington served as special assistant to the Secretary of Defense, before becoming the Department of Defense's general counsel in 1992.
From 1993 to 2001, he worked in private practice, for law firms Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz and Holland & Knight, and the American Trucking Association.[3] He headed a political action committee, the Alliance for American Leadership, set up in large part to explore a possible presidential candidacy for Mr. Cheney.
[edit] Vice-President's office
After working for Vice President Cheney, Addington was very influential in many different areas of policy. He authored or helped to shape many of the most controversial policies of the Bush administration.[2] Addington's influence strongly reflects his hawkish views on U.S. foreign policy, a position he had apparently already committed to as a teenager during the late phase of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s.[4]
Addington has consistently advocated that under the Constitution, the president has unlimited powers as commander in chief during wartime. In October 2005, Addington was tapped to become the vice president's chief of staff, replacing I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who had resigned after being indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. He is the legal force behind over 750 signing statements President Bush has added to bills passed by Congress. Addington was a legal advisor to President Reagan who advised that such signing statements be used to exempt President Reagan in the Iran-Contra scandal.
For instance, he helped to shape an August 2002 opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel that said torture might be justified in some cases.[5] He advocates scaling back the authority of lawyers in the uniformed services. He consistently advocates the expansion of presidential powers and Unitary Executive theory, nearly absolute deference to the Executive branch from Congress and the Judiciary.
Addington was mentioned by title in "Scooter" I. Lewis Libby Jr.'s indictment for five felony charges related to the Plame affair, regarding the leak of the identity of a CIA officer.[6]
[edit] War crimes prosecution
In November 2006, the German government received a complaint seeking the prosecution of Mr. Addington for alleged war crimes.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Olberman, Keith. "Cheney's new chief of staff controversial", MSNBC, November 4, 2005.
- ^ a b Ragavan, Chitra. "Cheney's Guy", U.S. News and World Report, May 29, 2006.
- ^ Waas, Murray, Singer, Paul. "Addington's Role In Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention", National Journal, October 30, 2005.
- ^
- ^ Jehl, Douglas, Golden, Tim. "In Cheney's New Chief, a Bureaucratic Master", New York Times, November 2, 2005.
- ^ Klaidman, Daniel, Taylor Jr., Stuart and Thomas, Evan. "Palace Revolt", Newsweek, February 6, 2006.
4. Mayer, Jane, "The Hidden Power," The New Yorker, July 3, 2006.
[edit] External links
- David Addington's campaign contributions
- 'Democracy Now!' coverage of Addingtion's appointment as chief of staff for Vice-President Dick Cheney and his role in the expansion of presidential power
- Meet David Addington: Cheney's Guy
- "The Hidden Power," by Jane Mayer, profile of David Addington in the July 3, 2006, issue of The New Yorker magazine.
- The New Yorker magazine Q&A with Jane Mayer about her David Addington article
- Fresh Air with Terry Gross interview of Jane Mayer about her David Addington article July 5, 2006
| Preceded by Lewis Libby |
Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States 2005– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
