Trump taps staff secretary Will Scharf to be next White House counsel

Washington — President Trump says White House staff secretary Will Scharf, his aide who oversees his flow of information, paperwork and executive orders, will be the next White House counsel. 

Scharf will replace current White House counsel, David Warrington, on Sept. 1, the president announced Sunday on Truth Social, as Warrington transitions to the private sector. Scharf’s most visible role in the White House is as the man who hands the president executive orders to sign and explains aloud what he is signing. He is also the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is overseeing projects like 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!”

Scharf, 40, graduated from Princeton University and received his law degree from Harvard University Law School. He was an assistant U.S. attorney in Missouri in a unit prosecuting violent crimes from 2020 to 2022.

The White House counsel is the White House’s top lawyer who provides in-house legal guidance to the president and the president’s team. 

Scharf’s onboarding comes shortly before the midterm elections, and the possibility that Democrats win back one or both chambers of Congress. After Democrats took control of the House in 2019, Mr. Trump and his team were bombarded with subpoenas and investigations, culminating in his first impeachment.

The president’s announcement of Scharf came one day after the Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal defense attorney, to be U.S. attorney general.