After Internal Drama, Trump Names New Pick for White House Counsel

President-elect Donald Trump announced a slew of nominees last week, and also announced a change in one of his key nominations, naming David Warrington to lead the Office of White House Counsel and moving the man he’d formerly nominated, William McGinley, to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as general counsel.

While the appointment is significant because of the office and the nominee, it’s also significant because of the palace intrigue surrounding Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn and the people he’s promoted for positions in the next Trump administration. This move is a bad sign for Epshteyn, who’d promoted McGinley to Trump for the White House counsel position.

Both appointments were announced in the same press release, without referencing the switcheroo.

“I am proud to announce the appointment of David A. Warrington to serve as Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President. Dave will lead the Office of White House Counsel, and serve as the top attorney in the White House. Dave has represented me well as my personal attorney, and as General Counsel for my Presidential Campaign. He is an esteemed lawyer and Conservative leader. Dave is currently a Partner at the Dhillon Law Group, and a former President of the Republican National Lawyers Association. Dave is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and a Magna Cum Laude Graduate of Georgetown University, and the George Mason University School of Law.”

Additionally, I have asked William Joseph McGinley to serve as Counsel to the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), something he is very passionate about. Bill will work with Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and their team of incredible pioneers at DOGE, to rebuild a U.S. Government that truly serves the People. Bill will play a crucial role in liberating our Economy from burdensome Regulations, excess spending, and Government waste. He will partner with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to provide advice and guidance to end the bloated Federal Bureaucracy. Bill is a great addition to a stellar team that is focused on making life better for all Americans. He will be at the forefront of my Administration’s efforts to make our Government more efficient and more accountable.

Through Dhillon Law Group (DLG), Warrington issued the following statement:

“I am deeply honored and humbled by President Trump’s trust in appointing me as Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President. Serving in this role is a profound responsibility, and I am committed to upholding the principles that make our nation strong. I am grateful for the opportunity support President Trump’s vision for America in this new role. It has been a privilege to work with my colleagues at Dhillon Law Group, and I will bring those experiences and values to this new role in service of our country.”

Harmeet Dhillon, DLG’s founder and managing partner, congratulated Warrington, saying:

“On behalf of the entire Dhillon Law Group family, we congratulate our partner David Warrington for the honor of being named White House Counsel to President Trump. David has served President Trump and his campaign so well as wise outside counsel, and in this new role he will serve our beloved country again. We will miss him!”

Palace Intrigue

Just a few weeks ago, at the behest of Trump and his incoming Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, Warrington led an investigation “into the consulting arrangements of Ephsteyn and other contractors,” according to exclusive reporting by John Solomon at Just The News. Why? Solomon explains:

One of Donald Trump’s closest advisers Boris Epshteyn solicited political candidates, a defense contractor and at least one potential Cabinet nominee for lucrative consulting contracts at the same time he was being paid by the Trump campaign and advising the president-elect on legal matters, nominations and political communications, according to interviews and documents reviewed by Just the News.

Solomon reported on November 25 that Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent says he was approached by Ephsteyn starting in February 2024 after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss helping with Trump’s campaign fundraising. Shortly after that meeting, Bessent says, Ephsteyn contacted him and asked to meet at a restaurant. At the restaurant, Ephsteyn pitched him on a consulting contract for “several tens of thousands of dollars a month,” which Bessent, a hedge fund manager, declined. 

Ephsteyn then sent Bessent an email pitch around the time of the Republican National Convention in July, asking him to invest in Big3 Basketball, which Bessent also declined.

Once Bessent was in talks with the Trump transition team about a cabinet position, he raised concerns about Ephsteyn’s pitches. Here’s where it gets interesting. From Solomon’s report (emphasis, mine):

After conversations with [Vice President-elect JD] Vance’s office, Bessent made a call to Epshteyn to see if the offer for the consulting work from earlier in the year could still be executed. Bessent told the transition office he made extensive and detailed records, written and audio, of what transpired in the call, according to interviews.

[Bessent’s] notes suggest that Bessent inquired whether he could get Ephsteyn’s help to get over “the finish line” for a nomination. The notes appear to quote Epshteyn as saying it was “too late” and that such an effort should have begun “months ago.” The notes stated that the consulting work would have been for “communications training of course.” “I’m Boris F*cking Epshteyn,” the notes stated.

The notes added that Epshteyn gave Bessent some “free advice: Take the NEC,” an apparent reference to a job on the National Economic Council.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who’d hired Epshteyn as a consultant on his unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate in 2022, said he had an “uncomfortable” conversation with Epshteyn in early November when he called for Epshteyn’s thoughts on whether he should apply for Navy Secretary. He provided a statement to his attorneys, who then sent it to Warrington and the rest of the transition team, according to Just the News.

“It is too early for that, let’s talk business,” Greitens quoted Epshteyn as telling him.

“Mr. Epshteyn’s overall tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to engage in business dealings with him before he would advocate for or suggest my appointment to the President,” Greitens wrote in a statement. “This created a sense of unease and pressure on my part.”

Trump spoke to Solomon about the issue, saying that he was unaware of anyone on his payroll attempting such solicitations and that type of behavior is not okay, adding:

“I suppose every President has people around them who try to make money off them on the outside. It’s a shame but it happens,” he said. “But no one working for me in any capacity should be looking to make money. They should only be here to Make America Great Again.”

He added for emphasis: “No one can promise any endorsement or nomination except me. I make these decisions on my own, period.”

And on Fox News, Eric Trump made a pointed remark:

“Listen, I have known Boris for years, and I have never known him to be anything but a good human being,” Eric Trump said Monday. “So, that said, I will tell you, my father’s been incredibly clear. You do not, you do not do that under any circumstance. And, believe me, there will be repercussions if somebody was.”

Results of the Investigation

Citing anonymous sources, two days later the National Pulse reported that the investigation was over, called the allegations false, and insinuated the investigation was instigated by Warrington because he was “embittered” that McGinley was picked for the position Warrington wanted:

Allegations were leaked to corporate media outlets CNN, CBS, and JustTheNews, falsely suggesting that Epshteyn had tried to solicit monthly consulting fees from potential administration nominees in exchange for advocacy within the administration. In truth, individuals are said to have approached Epshteyn offering cash, to which the lawyer replied, “You can’t buy me.”

In truth, individuals are said to have approached Epshteyn offering cash, to which the lawyer replied, “You can’t buy me.”

Following the refusal to take cash from those vying for jobs in the Trump administration, the individuals in question briefed corporate media outlets to the contrary. One such figure appears to be former, disgraced Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, who also ran a failed bid for U.S. Senate in 2022.

The accusations against Epshteyn were part of an internal review led by David Warrington, general counsel for Trump’s 2024 campaign, who has been embittered after Epshteyn’s preferred pick, Bill McGinley, was tapped for the coveted White House counsel position.

Steven Cheung, Trump transition spokesperson, issued a statement saying that the team was moving ahead, but not absolving Epshteyn or otherwise commenting on the review’s findings:

“As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign’s consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others. We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again.”

However, the Associated Press, the New York Times, and others reported more details of the review’s findings and recommendations:

The review concluded that Mr. Epshteyn had solicited payment from at least two people, including Scott Bessent, whom Mr. Trump recently announced as his intended Treasury secretary nominee, in return for promoting their names for specific jobs. Mr. Bessent refused to pay it, according to an account of Mr. Warrington’s report described to The New York Times.

The report is said to have concluded that Mr. Epshteyn’s proximity to the president-elect should be “terminated.”

Top allies of president-elect Trump and sources close to his transition team tell ABC News that top legal adviser Boris Epshteyn used his proximity to Trump to seek financial compensation, claiming he could potentially secure positions for certain people in the administration. pic.twitter.com/k7mwJ6tKE8

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) November 26, 2024

Warrington Was Wiles’ Initial Pick

Adding to the intrigue is reporting that Warrington was Wiles’ preference for the White House Counsel job and that Trump was expected to announce Warrington for the job until Epshteyn made moves to influence Trump while Wiles and other top campaign officials were at a donor conference in Las Vegas the week after the election:

Wednesday’s announcement of Mr. Warrington reflects a choice that Mr. Trump’s new White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, had initially preferred, according to two people briefed on the matter. 

Mr. Trump had been expected to announce Mr. Warrington for the job along with a spate of other staff moves the week after the election, the two people said. But while Ms. Wiles and most of the top campaign team attended a conference hosted by some of Mr. Trump’s donors in Las Vegas, Mr. Epshteyn pushed for Mr. Trump to name Mr. McGinley.

With all of that background, it’s clear that there are a lot of power and influence struggles going on at the top levels of Trump’s team, which is to be expected. Trump moving McGinley to DOGE and appointing Warrington could be seen as a win for Wiles, solidifying her influence and ensuring that Epshteyn knows he can’t go behind her back. Others say that DOGE will be a focus of power and influence within the Trump administration so the move isn’t necessarily a demotion for McGinley. While the assessment of DOGE’s importance is accurate, since Elon Musk isn’t a fan of Epshteyn, it’s likely he won’t view McGinley as a trustworthy ally.

Since Trump realistically has 18 months to make huge strides in accomplishing his second-term agenda (before the midterms), it’s my hope that the adults in the incoming administration are able to mitigate the influence of those who believe their egos and personal finances are more important than the country’s well-being, however that can be accomplished.

(DISCLAIMER: Harmeet Dhillon and Dhillon Law Group represented RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar in a lawsuit brought by former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) in 2020.)