Rajesh De

Rajesh De
Born	Template:Birth year and age Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Attorney, government official
Known for	Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General (Office of Legal Policy), White House Staff Secretary, General Counsel for the National Security Agency

Rajesh "Raj" De (born around 1972) is an American attorney and former U.S. government official who currently serves as managing partner of the Washington, D.C. branch of the law firm Mayer Brown. Throughout the Barack Obama presidency, he occupied significant positions including Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy, White House Staff Secretary, and General Counsel for the U.S. National Security Agency.

Prior to these roles, he worked as counsel to the 9/11 Commission, contributing to the drafting of the 9/11 Commission Report and associated legislative measures.

Early life and education

De was born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of Indian Bengali descent. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College and earned his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1999. During law school, his roommate was John P. Carlin, who also later held prominent roles in the Obama administration, including chief of staff to FBI Director Robert Mueller and Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. While attending law school, De clerked for Judge A. Wallace Tashima on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals based in California.

Career

Upon completing law school, De launched his legal profession at the United States Department of Justice, working as a litigator within the Antitrust Division through the Attorney General's Honors Program, which aims to place talented new attorneys within DOJ.

9/11 Commission

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, De served as counsel to the 9/11 Commission, conducting interviews with numerous American and international officials and drafting portions of the 9/11 Commission Report. Subsequently, he acted as special bipartisan staff for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, assisting in crafting legislation inspired by the commission’s findings, including establishing both the Director of National Intelligence position and the National Counterterrorism Center. These initiatives were incorporated into the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. In 2015, De identified his involvement in producing the 9/11 Commission Report as his most significant legal accomplishment.

De briefly departed government service in 2006 to join law firm Mayer Brown as an associate before returning later. During this interval, he also provided pro bono legal counsel to the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism.

Office of Legal Policy

At the outset of President Obama's tenure, De rejoined DOJ as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy, serving under Acting Assistant Attorney General Kevin R. Jones. Since President Obama’s nominee for Assistant Attorney General, Christopher H. Schroeder, was not confirmed until April 2010, De effectively acted as the top political appointee within that office. In this role, he collaborated extensively with Attorney General Eric Holder and other senior DOJ officials.

White House Staff Secretary

De entered the White House in 2010, assuming the role of Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary under Lisa Brown. Following Brown's exit in early 2011, De was elevated to the position of White House Staff Secretary, a role he held until April 2012. The Staff Secretary is responsible for managing the flow of documents to the President and coordinating their distribution among senior officials and cabinet departments. De characterized this position as "the ultimate grind job" because of its demanding workload and the precision required, emphasizing that it offered profound exposure to federal government processes.

In 2018, after it was disclosed that Trump administration Staff Secretary Rob Porter did not possess full security clearance, De publicly condemned both Porter and the White House for this security oversight.

National Security Agency

Between April 2012 and March 2015, De served as general counsel for the NSA, managing a team of approximately 100 attorneys and staff members. He acted as the agency’s representative in inter-agency negotiations, congressional testimonies, proceedings before the FISC, and interactions with foreign governments. His tenure overlapped with significant controversy surrounding NSA surveillance disclosures.

Mayer Brown

After concluding his service at the NSA, De rejoined law firm Mayer Brown. In 2019, he was appointed managing partner of Mayer Brown’s Washington, D.C. office, where he leads their global Cybersecurity & Data Privacy and National Security divisions, while also contributing to their Congressional Investigations & Crisis Management practice.

Outside Mayer Brown, De participates in the Homeland Security Group at the Aspen Institute, serves on the board of the Southern Center for Human Rights, holds a non-resident fellowship at NYU's Reiss Center on Law and Security, and is a member of the external advisory board for the Central Intelligence Agency general counsel.

Biden transition

In November 2020, De volunteered for the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team, assisting with efforts connected to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Awards and recognition

De has been honored with the U.S. Attorney General's John Marshall Award, which is the highest distinction granted by the Department of Justice to attorneys. His other notable awards include the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the National Security Agency Director's Distinguished Service Medal, as well as the NSA Intelligence Under Law Award.

External links

• Rajesh De profile at Mayer Brown
• Raj De featured at Aspen Institute
• Rajesh De listed at Southern Center for Human Rights
• Rajesh De page at Reiss Center on Law and Security
• Attorney General's Honors Program information from the U.S. Department of Justice
• 9/11 Commission Report available on 9-11commission.gov