President-elect Trump announced Saturday that he will appoint one of his personal attorneys, Will Scharf, to serve as White House chief of staff for the next administration.
Mr. Scharf represented Mr. Trump as one of his lawyers during the presidential immunity hearings at the Supreme Court and was a regular on television defending Mr. Trump during his hush money trial in Manhattan.
The chief of staff is a low-profile position that plays an important role within the White House. The staff secretary controls the flow of documents to the president and is usually close to the commander-in-chief. Rob Porter and Derek Lyons served in the role during President Trump's first term.
“Will is a highly accomplished lawyer and will be an important part of my White House team,” President Trump said in a statement. “He played a key role in defeating the election interference and legal battles brought against me, including winning a historic immunity verdict in the Supreme Court.”
Schaaf ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general earlier this year.lose in the primaryTo the incumbent Andrew Bailey. Trump supported both men in the primary election.
Schaaf is the latest Trump lawyer to be paid for administrative work. President Trump announced earlier this week that Todd Blanche, Emile Bove and John Sauer, who have represented him over the past year, have been selected for senior positions at the Justice Department.
Mr. Scharf, a former federal prosecutor, worked with Mr. Sauer at the James Ortiz law firm and represented Mr. Trump in both his presidential immunity fight and his appeal of a gag order imposed in a federal election interference criminal case. It's here.
Mr. Schaaf declined to comment on his appointment.
He previously worked at CRC Advisors, a public relations firm founded by Leonard Leo, a conservative judicial activist who played a central role in shifting the Supreme Court to the right and selecting President Trump's nominees.
Schaaf himself worked on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's recent nominees to the Supreme Court.
A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Mr. Scharf previously worked as policy director in the office of then-Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (R).
Updated at 4:19pm ET
