George J. Terwilliger III
Encyclopedia
George J. Terwilliger III (born June 5, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of White & Case
LLP and is a former United States Deputy Attorney General
and acting United States Attorney General
. Terwilliger, of Vermont, was nominated February 14, 1992, by President George H.W. Bush to be Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. He would succeed William Pelham Barr. As Deputy Attorney General, Terwilliger became the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Justice
(DOJ) and ran the day-to-day operations of the Department, serving in that position from 1991 through 1993. He was appointed to the position after serving as the United States Attorney
for the District of Vermont
. In addition, he currently serves on the Advisory Board of Intellaine, LLP, a U.S. defense and risk engineering firm located in Arlington, Virginia.
(B.A., 1973) and Antioch School of Law
(J.D.
, 1978). A former U.S. Attorney for Vermont and Deputy U.S. Attorney General (1991-93) in the George H. W. Bush
administration, Terwilliger specialized in white-collar crime
and terrorism.
Terwilliger served as a panelist for the Brookings Institution
Judicial Issues Forum entitled "Politics and the Justice Department: Finding a Path to Accountability". Terwilliger was listed among the "Top Contenders" to replace Gonzales, "whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress
". Gonzales resigned August 27, 2007, and left office on September 17, 2007.
Terwilliger "briefly took the helm of the Justice Department as acting attorney general after the departure of former Attorney General William Barr in 1993." From 1978 to 1981, Terwilliger also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Throughout his career, Terwilliger dealt with resolving matters such as investigating BCCI
after an international banking scandal and investigating after the savings and loan scandal, environmental cases, antitrust merger reviews and enforcement matters, civil rights
and voting cases as well as terrorism and national security cases. Terwilliger was also in charge of all Justice Department operations, including crisis response, such as the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. On policy matters, he was a principal in the highest councils of government charged with addressing the broad array of legal policy issues arising in the executive branch.
, was described as having acted as the Political Liability Suppression Officer for the Department of Justice in the post-Iran-Contra environment. Terwilliger, in concert with Lowell Jensen (now
a federal district judge) acted to suppress or manipulate Iran-Contra prosecutions in sensitive jurisdictions, particularly in Miami, to ensure that no government connection would
be mentioned.
In a February 6, 2001 appearance on CNN
about Ronald Reagan
's "Legal Legacy", after being asked about "lying to Congress", Terwilliger said:
President-elect George W. Bush
's legal team and was "an advisor to the Bush-Cheney Transition and counselor to designated cabinet and other prospective appointees."
spokesman Ari Fleischer
was asked in a White House press briefing whether Terwilliger was a leading candidate to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation
.
In 2008, the American Bar Association mentioned Terwilliger as a leading candidate for Attorney General under a John McCain
presidency.
White House political director and secretary and treasurer of the Young America's Foundation
, and Craig Shirley
, president and CEO of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs.
It was reported October 10, 2007, that Terwilliger had been hired by former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales "to represent him in investigations of mismanagement" of the U.S. Department of Justice. "Investigators are look[ing] into allegations that Gonzales lied to lawmakers and illegally allowed politics to influence hiring and firing
at the department."
White & Case
White & Case was founded in New York in 1901 and has grown into one of the world's leading global law firms. The firm has since expanded, and has practice groups in emerging markets including Latin America, Central & Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in Europe...
LLP and is a former United States Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. In the United States federal government, the Deputy Attorney General oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Justice, and may act as Attorney General during the...
and acting United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
. Terwilliger, of Vermont, was nominated February 14, 1992, by President George H.W. Bush to be Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. He would succeed William Pelham Barr. As Deputy Attorney General, Terwilliger became the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
(DOJ) and ran the day-to-day operations of the Department, serving in that position from 1991 through 1993. He was appointed to the position after serving as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. In addition, he currently serves on the Advisory Board of Intellaine, LLP, a U.S. defense and risk engineering firm located in Arlington, Virginia.
Career
Terwilliger was born June 5, 1950, in New Brunswick, NJ. Terwilliger is married, has three children, and resides in Oakton, VA. Terwilliger graduated from Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
(B.A., 1973) and Antioch School of Law
Antioch School of Law
Antioch School of Law was a law school in Washington, D.C. which specialized in public advocacy, which now operates as the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.-History:...
(J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, 1978). A former U.S. Attorney for Vermont and Deputy U.S. Attorney General (1991-93) in the George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
administration, Terwilliger specialized in white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
and terrorism.
Terwilliger served as a panelist for the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
Judicial Issues Forum entitled "Politics and the Justice Department: Finding a Path to Accountability". Terwilliger was listed among the "Top Contenders" to replace Gonzales, "whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
". Gonzales resigned August 27, 2007, and left office on September 17, 2007.
Terwilliger "briefly took the helm of the Justice Department as acting attorney general after the departure of former Attorney General William Barr in 1993." From 1978 to 1981, Terwilliger also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Throughout his career, Terwilliger dealt with resolving matters such as investigating BCCI
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International was a major international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani financier. The Bank was registered in Luxembourg with head offices in Karachi and London. Within a decade BCCI touched its peak...
after an international banking scandal and investigating after the savings and loan scandal, environmental cases, antitrust merger reviews and enforcement matters, civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and voting cases as well as terrorism and national security cases. Terwilliger was also in charge of all Justice Department operations, including crisis response, such as the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. On policy matters, he was a principal in the highest councils of government charged with addressing the broad array of legal policy issues arising in the executive branch.
Iran-Contra
Terwilliger, Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Edwin MeeseEdwin Meese
Edwin "Ed" Meese, III is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration , the Reagan Presidential Transition Team , and the Reagan White House , eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of...
, was described as having acted as the Political Liability Suppression Officer for the Department of Justice in the post-Iran-Contra environment. Terwilliger, in concert with Lowell Jensen (now
a federal district judge) acted to suppress or manipulate Iran-Contra prosecutions in sensitive jurisdictions, particularly in Miami, to ensure that no government connection would
be mentioned.
In a February 6, 2001 appearance on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
about Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's "Legal Legacy", after being asked about "lying to Congress", Terwilliger said:
- "... one of the things that I found very bothersome about Iran-Contra was that some of the prosecutions for false statements involved false statements that were made in unrecorded interviews with investigators, not in sworn testimony under oath ....
- "But whether or not there was substantive violation of law in Iran-Contra surrounding this policy dispute was never really adjudicated: Nobody was ever charged with that crime ...
- "But the bottom line is that whether or not there was a violation of law, substantively it was problematic. And the fact that people were hounded, pursued, over alleged false statements, I mean, do we hear an echo here to the complaints from the left and from DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
about an independent counsel hounding somebody for...."
2000 Florida recount
During the Florida 2000 election recount, Terwilliger led RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
President-elect George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's legal team and was "an advisor to the Bush-Cheney Transition and counselor to designated cabinet and other prospective appointees."
Candidate for high-ranking positions
In June 2001, Bush administrationGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
spokesman Ari Fleischer
Ari Fleischer
On May 19, 2003, he announced that he would resign during the summer, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and to work in the private sector...
was asked in a White House press briefing whether Terwilliger was a leading candidate to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
.
In 2008, the American Bar Association mentioned Terwilliger as a leading candidate for Attorney General under a John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
presidency.
Other activities
In 2003, Terwilliger co-founded the 527 committee Americans for a Better Country with Frank J. Donatelli, former Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
White House political director and secretary and treasurer of the Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.-History:...
, and Craig Shirley
Craig Shirley
Craig Shirley is President and CEO of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, the public relations, marketing, and government affairs firm he originally founded in 1984.- Biography :...
, president and CEO of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs.
It was reported October 10, 2007, that Terwilliger had been hired by former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales "to represent him in investigations of mismanagement" of the U.S. Department of Justice. "Investigators are look[ing] into allegations that Gonzales lied to lawmakers and illegally allowed politics to influence hiring and firing
Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
The dismissal of U.S. Attorneys controversy was initiated by the unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006 by the George W. Bush administration's Department of Justice. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White...
at the department."
Affiliations
- Counsel, National Gambling Impact Study Commission (1997)
- Legal Advisory Council, National Legal Center for the Public InterestNational Legal Center for the Public InterestAEI Legal Center for the Public Interest was formed when the National Legal Center for the Public Interest was merged into the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute in September 2007...
- Washington Legal FoundationWashington Legal FoundationThe Washington Legal Foundation is a non-profit legal organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1977, the Foundation's stated goal is "to defend and promote the principles of freedom and justice." The organization promotes pro-business and free-market positions and is widely perceived as...
- American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
External links
- George Lardner Jr. and Peter Slevin, "Military May Try Terrorism Cases. Bush Cites 'Emergency'," Washington Post (Freedom of Information Center), November 14, 2001.
- "Terror Tribunals," PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Online NewsHour, November 14, 2001: "Gwen Ifill examines the debate over trying terrorists in military rather than civilian courts with George Terwilliger, former deputy attorney general for the first Bush administration, and Laura Murphy, director of the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
." - Dan Eggen, "Reid Says Senators Would Block Olson. Choice for Attorney General Awaited," Washington Post, September 13, 2007.
- Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, "Gonzales Hires a Top Gun. Still under investigation by Congress and Justice Department lawyers who once worked for him, the former attorney general has turned to a leading Washington attorney to help him beat the rap," Newsweek/MSNBC, October 10, 2007.