Washington — President Trump said White House staff secretary Will Scharf, the aide responsible for managing the president’s flow of documents, briefings and executive orders, will become the next White House counsel.
Scharf is set to succeed current White House counsel David Warrington on Sept. 1, Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social, as Warrington prepares to return to the private sector. Scharf has become a familiar presence at White House signing events, often handing executive orders to the president and publicly describing what Trump is about to sign. He also serves as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, the body overseeing projects including the president’s triumphal arch.
“Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law,” the president wrote. “Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!”
AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
Scharf, 40, is a Princeton University graduate who earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. From 2020 to 2022, he worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Missouri, serving in a unit focused on prosecuting violent crimes.
The White House counsel is the administration’s chief in-house lawyer, advising the president and senior staff on legal issues across the executive branch.
Scharf’s move into the role comes ahead of the midterm elections, with Democrats hoping to regain control of one or both chambers of Congress. When Democrats took the House in 2019, Mr. Trump and his advisers faced a wave of subpoenas and investigations that ultimately led to his first impeachment.
Trump’s announcement naming Scharf came one day after the Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal defense attorney, as deputy attorney general.
