The Department of Justice has announced President Donald Trump’s intent to nominate John Eisenberg to serve as Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Brett Shumate to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, and Patrick Davis to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs.
John Eisenberg (The National Security Division)
During Trump’s first term, Eisenberg served as the Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, Assistant to the President, and Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs. Eisenberg has also served at the Department of Justice in several positions, including Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel.
In addition to his government experience, Eisenberg was also a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, where he focused on white-collar and internal-investigation matters as well as data-security issues.
Eisenberg clerked for J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Stanford University.
Brett Shumate (The Civil Division)
Shumate presently serves as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. Prior to rejoining the Department, Shumate was a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C. He previously served at the Department as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch in the Civil Division.
Shumate clerked for Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law and Furman University.
Patrick Davis (The Office of Legislative Affairs)
This will be Davis’ third stint with the Department of Justice. During Trump’s first term, Davis served in DOJ management as Deputy Associate Attorney General. Earlier in his career, he served as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the DOJ’s Civil Division.
On Capitol Hill, Davis was the Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he led the Committee’s “Russiagate” investigation and was instrumental in the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He later served as the Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Davis rejoined the Department of Justice as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs. Prior to his return to the Department, he served as Senior Counsel at the American Petroleum Institute.
Davis is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Nebraska.
