White House Counsel
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Search complete. 70 mentions across 42 episodes found for "White House Counsel".
Oct 21, 2026
Miles TaylorGUEST
That's what it sounds like.
Miles TaylorGUEST
I mean, look, Rick Grinnell denies the allegations here, and there is allegedly an investigation that Donald Trump has asked his White House counsel to open, White House Counsel Will Scharf.
Miles TaylorGUEST
I also find this interesting.
Miles TaylorGUEST
The White House Counsel Will Scharf is the man who has rubber-stamped monuments to Donald Trump in Washington, DC, has basically told his boss, "It is ethical for you to build monuments to yourself in Washington, DC." That same man is now responsible for Donald Trump for investigating this other episode of alleged corruption within the Trump administration at the Kennedy Center.
Miles TaylorGUEST
Um, this is really extraordinary for a couple of reasons.
Miles TaylorGUEST
There's sort of like corruption within corruption here because remember, the Kennedy Center controversy didn't start here.
speaker_6SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Alina Habba told President Trump her husband's five point six million dollar Kennedy Center donation was never deposited by then-director Rick Grenell.
speaker_6SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Trump sent the claim to the White House Counsel.
speaker_6SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Grenell ran the center until March.
Paz Rodríguez NiellHOST
Lo que se sabe es que Alina Habba, que fue abogada del presidente, le dijo a Trump que la donación de cinco coma seis millones de dólares al Kennedy Center que hizo su marido, Turhan Mildon, nunca fue depositada en la cuenta correcta por Rick Grenell, quien dirigió el centro hasta el pasado mes de marzo.
Ryan WarnerHOST
Stern lives in Snowmass.
Ryan WarnerHOST
He's a former Jefferson County clerk and recorder, former private sector CEO, served in the White House Counsel's Office, and graduated Harvard Law.
Ryan WarnerHOST
Hi, George.
Ryan WarnerHOST
Hey, Ryan.
22 MINS LATER
George SternGUEST
I really appreciate you having me.
Ryan WarnerHOST
George Stern of Snowmass.
Ryan WarnerHOST
He has run private sector companies, served as Jefferson County's clerk and recorder, and worked in the White House Counsel's Office.
Ryan WarnerHOST
He is George Stern leadership across social media.
Lisa GravesHOST
That story involves Leonard Leo.
Lisa GravesHOST
Leonard Leo, as many of you may know, is the person who Donald Trump tapped to choose his His slate of judges for the Supreme Court to choose the people that Donald Trump would choose from with his influence, the influence of the White House counsel back then, Don McGahn, working in tandem with Leonard Leo to install on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lisa GravesHOST
Leonard Leo was then the vice president or executive vice president of the Federal Society.
Lisa GravesHOST
The Federal Society is a group that was created in 1982 to create a pipeline to power for what they call conservative or libertarian lawyers and law students to get positions of power.
Lisa GravesHOST
So he was rewarded with a post basically at Kirkland and Ellis alongside Ken Starr.
Lisa GravesHOST
And then, as I mentioned in another podcast here on Unprecedented, Kavanaugh went down to Florida for Bush v. Gore, tried to help, was part of the team that helped stop the recount and made George W. Bush president.
Lisa GravesHOST
Brett Kavanaugh got rewarded for that by being chosen as Associate White House Counsel.
Lisa GravesHOST
And in that role, that's how I encountered Brett Kavanaugh.
speaker_19UNKNOWN
Yeah, he's another one, but no. It's worse than that.
speaker_19UNKNOWN
It's Biden's White House counsel, Amy Jeffress-
Sean ThompsonHOST
Oh
speaker_19UNKNOWN
... who is also the wife of the judge in the Michael Sussmann case with the Steele dossier that, that clipped
Sean ThompsonHOST
Yes.
JimAUDIENCE
So his connections are so many that it's almost too long to mention.
JimAUDIENCE
But also, she was also instrumental in communicating with Epstein when she was Biden's, uh, White House Counsel.
Sean ThompsonHOST
So this isn't not the one that was Obama's White House Counsel, who went on to be Goldman Sachs' White House Council-
Zev ShalevHOST
Yeah, who knew? Who knew? A little show in the sub stack.
Zev ShalevHOST
White House counsel Will Scharf is investigating a text message dated May the 3rd, 2025, in which Rick Grinnell allegedly offered Turkish businessman Tarhan Muldoon access to VIP events and POTUS, in capital letters, of course, in exchange for money routed through a Texas company.
Zev ShalevHOST
Axios reported on Monday that the text reads, once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to the Kennedy Center.
Zev ShalevHOST
Grinnell ran the Kennedy Center at the time, so he was basically using it as a way to get money into the coffers, but not the Kennedy Center's coffers, his own coffers.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Yeah, well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Uh, I'm being hired as White House Press Secretary and not White House Counsel.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
The conversations and the reason I was h- um, the, the reason that I was hired was to represent the president in the press.
Coach ColinHOST
That's so funny.
Marc EliasHOST
It didn't happen in part because the Department of Justice refused to go along.
Marc EliasHOST
It didn't happen in part because the White House Counsel's Office would have revolted.
Marc EliasHOST
They made that clear to Donald Trump.
Marc EliasHOST
Those guardrails are gone.
Marc EliasHOST
This letter is coming from the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.
Marc EliasHOST
There is no guardrail from the Department of Justice.
Marc EliasHOST
There is no one in the White House or the White House Counsel's Office that is telling the Department of Justice, do not do this.
Marc EliasHOST
Do not try to force states to choose between criminal investigation, criminal actions, criminal indictment, criminal whatever, criminal ballots, search warrants.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Uh, I'm being hired as White House Press Secretary and not White House Council.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
The conversations and the reason I was, um, the, the reason that I was hired was to represent the president in the press.
speaker_10SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Um, i- I was watching your interview last night on, on Sean's show, and God bless you because it's the, uh, o- other than the president, I think it must be the hardest job, 'cause you have to know all the facts, you have to speak o- off the cuff, um, and you were just thrown into this role.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Uh, I'm being hired as White House Press Secretary and not White House Council.
Katie ZachariaSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
The conversations and the reason I was, um, the, the reason that I was hired was to represent the president in the press.
Ainsley EarhardtSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Um, i- I was watching your interview last night on, on Sean's show, and God bless you because it's the, i- other than the president, I think it must be the hardest job, 'cause you have to know all the facts, you have to speak o- off the cuff, um, and you were just thrown into this role.
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