Trump Names Will Scharf White House Counsel
Cover image from aljazeera.com, which was analyzed for this article
Trump appoints current staff secretary Will Scharf as new White House counsel, continuing administration personnel changes ahead of potential legal and midterm fights.
PoliticalOS
Monday, August 10, 2026 — Politics
Scharf’s appointment places a lawyer with direct experience defending Trump in court into the role that will manage legal responses to any post-midterm congressional investigations. The timing and Scharf’s prior work on the ballroom project are documented facts; whether they signal strategic preparation remains for readers to assess from the record.
What outlets missed
Neither outlet provided Scharf’s full prior government service record beyond the immunity case and staff secretary role, including his work on first-term judicial confirmations. Details on the ballroom project’s funding mechanism and any internal White House debates over its scope were absent. The articles also omitted any discussion of how the counsel’s office has historically interacted with the National Capital Planning Commission on White House alterations.
The White House counsel position carries direct responsibility for advising on legal challenges to executive actions and managing responses to congressional oversight. President Trump’s appointment of Will Scharf to that role on September 1 places a lawyer with prior service on Trump’s legal team into the center of preparations for possible midterm shifts in congressional control.
Scharf, currently White House staff secretary, will succeed David Warrington, who is departing for the private sector. Trump announced the move on Truth Social and described Scharf as “Tough, Strong, and Smart.” Scharf previously worked on the presidential immunity litigation that reached the Supreme Court in 2024 and served on the team handling the federal election interference case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. He also chaired the National Capital Planning Commission, which approved a $400 million White House ballroom project on the site of the former East Wing.
A federal appeals court has since upheld an injunction halting aboveground construction on the ballroom, ruling that such alterations require explicit congressional approval. Trump has stated he will seek Supreme Court review. Scharf had maintained that the commission’s authority covered construction but not the preceding demolition.
The counsel’s office reviews legislation and executive actions and coordinates the administration’s handling of lawsuits and investigations. Axios noted that the September 1 start date leaves Scharf two months before the November midterms, when Democrats have signaled plans to pursue subpoenas and testimony if they gain House or Senate majorities. Al Jazeera reported the same timing and added that Scharf’s earlier work included assisting with the Senate confirmations of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during Trump’s first term.
Other former Trump lawyers have already moved into senior legal posts. Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general on August 9. D. John Sauer, who argued the immunity case before the Supreme Court, serves as solicitor general. Emil Bove received an initial Justice Department role before confirmation to a federal appeals court. Scharf’s elevation continues that pattern of placing attorneys who represented Trump personally into positions that shape the administration’s legal strategy.
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