President Joe Biden named Chicago attorney Edward “Ed” Siskel White House counsel Tuesday.
Siskel, who was Chicago’s corporation counsel under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and White House deputy counsel under President Barack Obama, will also work as assistant to the president, according to a White House news release.
“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,” Biden wrote in a statement.
Siskel, 51, replaces Stuart Delery, who stepped down as White House’s top lawyer last week. He joins Biden’s staff at a critical time as the president vies for reelection amid congressional and judicial investigations into his administration and presidency.
Biden’s personal attorney remains Bob Bauer, who represents the president in his personal capacity, most notably in matters related to the classified documents found in his office and his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
As White House counsel, Siskel will lead an office that handles presidential pardons, works on judicial appointments and reviews legislation. The office also manages congressional investigations into the administration and responds to lawsuits brought against the president in his official capacity.
For Obama, Siskel handled internal investigations and ran point on congressional investigations into the solar technology company Solyndra and the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.
A former constitutional law student of Obama’s at the University of Chicago, Siskel also clerked for U.S. Justice John Paul Stevens and worked as federal prosecutor in Chicago during U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s corruption-busting years, including arguing the fraud trial of newspaper publisher Conrad Black.
When Siskel was appointed Chicago counsel in 2017, colleagues told the Tribune he was known at the White House and federal courthouse for his ability to quickly address problems and a “Midwestern sensibility.”
“Ed’s moral compass points true north,” said Julie Porter, former chief of criminal federal prosecutions in Chicago and later Illinois Legislative Inspector General. “He is a man of complete integrity whose experience will serve the city and its citizens well.”
His work as Chicago’s top lawyer included run-ins with former President Donald Trump’s administration. When Trump’s administration didn’t sue corporations the city believed to be in violation of the law early in Siskel’s first year, the attorney’s team sought to add an “affirmative litigation” unit so Chicago could sue instead.
Months later, he labeled the Trump administration’s request that Chicago and other city’s share documents related to its “sanctuary city” status as “a pretext … to demonize immigrants and penalize municipalities that refuse to fall in line.”
Since his term as Chicago counsel, Siskel has served as chief legal officer for Grosvenor Holdings, a Chicago-based investment firm, according to his LinkedIn profile. He worked as a partner at law firm WilmerHale in the time between working under Obama and Emanuel.
The attorney is the nephew of the late Tribune movie critic Gene Siskel.
The Associated Press contributed.
