President Joe Biden has turned to a familiar face, appointing Ed Siskel as the White House’s new counsel.
During the Obama administration, Siskel helped to shield President Barack Obama from inquiries that House Republicans conducted into Solyndra and Benghazi. That past experience could prove valuable for Biden, as House Republicans are conducting multiple inquiries into him and his family.
In announcing Siskel’s hire on Tuesday, Biden issued a statement that said:
“Ed Siskel’s many years of experience in public service and a career defending the rule of law make him the perfect choice to serve as my next White House Counsel.
“For nearly four years in the White House when I was Vice President, he helped the Counsel’s Office navigate complex challenges and advance the President’s agenda on behalf of the American people, and first as a federal prosecutor and then as the top counsel for one of America’s biggest and most vibrant cities, his hometown of Chicago, Ed has shown a deep commitment to public service and respect for the law.”
Siskel is likely to be faced immediately with the investigation that a special counsel is conducting into how Biden allegedly mishandled classified documents, as well as a separate special counsel investigation into his son Hunter Biden’s failed plea deal with the Department of Justice.
House Republicans also have started plenty of other investigations into the president, including his handling of the migrant crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some GOP lawmakers are also pushing to try to impeach Biden.
As such, it looks like Siskel will have his hands full right from the get-go.
Siskel will be replacing Stuart Delery in the role. He’ll be leaving as White House counsel next month.
The announcement of Delery’s replacement actually comes just one week after he announced he’d be departing the office. In a statement announcing the departure, Biden called Delery a “trusted adviser and a constant source of innovative legal thinking since Day One of my Administration.”
Delery joined the transition team for Biden back in November of 2020. He was eventually promoted to deputy counsel, and then assumed the top job last year.
Biden further praised Siskel when he said:
“His experience will let him hit the ground running as a key leader on my team as we continue making progress for the American people every day.”
The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that Siskel aided the Obama administration in navigating multiple inquiries from Congress as well as “other political landmines.” That included Solyndra, a company that produced solar panels and received aid from the federal government, as well as a terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate compound that occurred in Benghazi, Libya, which left four U.S. officials dead.
Siskel also was in charge of rolling out and defending legal challenges to ObamaCare.
The White House said that in addition to helping to craft policies and other executive actions that would push the president’s agenda, Siskel will “lead a team serving the President with counsel on legal matters facing the White House and the country.”
