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Christopher Fonzone

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American lawyer (born 1975)
Christopher Fonzone
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2024
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byGillian E. Metzger (acting)
General Counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
In office
June 24, 2021 – January 5, 2024
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJason Klitenic
Personal details
Born (1975-10-16) October 16, 1975 (age 49)
Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationCornell University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Christopher Charles Fonzone (born October 16, 1975) is an American attorney serving as the United States assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel. He previously served as the general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Early life and education

Fonzone was born on October 16, 1975 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and economics from Cornell University in 1998 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2007.

Career

From 2000 to 2004, Fonzone worked as a principal and engagement manager at Novantas, a financial services firm. In 2006 and 2007, he served as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III. In 2008 and 2009, he served as an appellate attorney in the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. In 2009 and 2010, he served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. From 2010 to 2012, he served as special counsel in the United States Department of Defense. In 2012, he also briefly served as an advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel. From 2013 to 2017, he served as deputy assistant and counsel to President Barack Obama, in addition to legal advisor to the United States National Security Council. In 2017, Fonzone became a partner at Sidley Austin.

In 2021, Fonzone was nominated to serve as general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. During his confirmation process, he was criticized for his lobbying work on behalf of Huawei and China's Ministry of Commerce during his time at Sidley Austin. Fonzone was confirmed by a vote of 55–45. On September 5, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Fonzone to serve as the United States assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel. On September 7, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. On November 1, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On November 30, 2023, his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by an 11–10 party-line vote. On December 19, 2023, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate in a 50–17 vote. He was sworn on January 5, 2024 by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

References

  1. "QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COMPLETION BY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES" (PDF). United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. May 18, 2021. p. 39. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. "General Counsel". www.dni.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. Rachlin, Jill. "Chris Fonzone". Reiss Center on Law and Security. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  4. Ng, Abigail (May 27, 2021). "GOP senators oppose Biden intelligence nominee who did legal work for Huawei". CNBC. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  5. "U.S. Senate confirms Biden intel pick after Republicans cite Huawei link". Reuters. June 22, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  6. "President Biden Announces Key Nominees" (Press release). The White House. September 5, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  7. "Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate" (Press release). The White House. September 7, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "PN981 — Christopher Charles Fonzone — Department of Justice". November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  9. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – November 30, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  10. "Christopher Charles Fonzone, of Pennsylvania, to be an Assistant Attorney General". senate.gov. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. @TheJusticeDept (January 5, 2024). "This week, AG Garland swore in Christopher Fonzone as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. OLC is charged with providing legal advice to all executive branch agencies & commenting on the constitutionality of pending legislation. https://justice.gov/olc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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