Editing Gregory B. Craig

{{Infobox Officeholder
|image        = Greg Craig.jpg
|office       = [[White House Counsel]]
|president    = [[Barack Obama]]
|term_start   = January 20, 2009
|term_end     = January 3, 2010
|predecessor  = [[Fred F. Fielding|Fred Fielding]]
|successor    = [[Robert Bauer|Bob Bauer]]
|office1      = [[Director of Policy Planning]]
|president1   = [[Bill Clinton]]
|term_start1  = July 10, 1997
|term_end1    = September 16, 1998
|predecessor1 = [[James Steinberg|Jim Steinberg]]
|successor1   = [[Morton Halperin]]
|birth_name   = Gregory Bestor Craig
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1945|3|4}}
|birth_place  = [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|education    = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>{{nowrap|[[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]}} ([[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>[[Yale University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Gregory Bestor Craig''' (born March 4, 1945) is an American lawyer and former [[White House Counsel]], under President [[Barack Obama]], from 2009 to 2010. A former attorney at the Washington, D.C. [[law firm]] of [[Williams & Connolly]], Craig has represented numerous high-profile clients. Prior to becoming White House Counsel, he served as assistant to the President and special counsel in the [[White House]] of President [[Bill Clinton]], where he directed the team [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|defending Clinton against impeachment]]. Craig also served as a senior advisor to Senator [[Edward Kennedy]] and to [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Madeleine Albright]]. 

After leaving the [[Obama Administration|Obama administration]], Craig returned to private practice as a partner at the law firm [[Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom]]. In 2019, Craig was indicted on charges of lying to federal prosecutors about the work he did at Skadden on behalf of the [[government of Ukraine]] under [[Viktor F. Yanukovych]], work referred to Craig by [[Paul Manafort]], then a Yanukovych consultant. Craig was acquitted in a jury trial.<ref name="Lucas">Ryan Lucas, [https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/757603189/jury-finds-ex-white-house-counsel-craig-not-guilty-of-lying-to-government Jury Finds Ex-White House Counsel Craig Not Guilty Of Lying To Government], ''NPR'' (September 4, 2019).</ref>

==Early life and education==
Craig was born in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on March 4, 1945.<ref name="Lewis">Neil A. Lewis, [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/08/us/politics/08craig.html The New Team: Gregory B. Craig], ''The New York Times'' (November 8, 2008).</ref> Craig's father, William Gregory Craig (1914&ndash;2005), was a [[United States Navy|Navy]] officer who served in [[World War II]] and after the war served as chancellor of the [[Vermont State Colleges]] system (1973&ndash;1976), chancellor of the [[California Community College]] system (1977&ndash;1980), and president of the [[Monterey Institute]] (1980&ndash;1988).<ref name="Bayot">Jennifer Bayot, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/11/national/11craig.html William Craig, 90, Leader of Colleges in 2 States, Dies], ''New York Times'' (March 11, 2005).</ref> The elder Craig unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for [[governor of Vermont]].<ref name="Bayot"/> The younger considers [[Vermont]] his home state;<ref name="Lewis"/> he grew up as one of four boys in [[Middlebury, Vermont]].<ref name="Kashino">Marisa M. Kashino, [http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/obama-white-house-counsel-gregory-craig-what-ive-learned/ Obama White House Counsel Gregory Craig: What I've Learned], ''Washingtonian'' (May 23, 2011).</ref> He spent some of his early years in [[Palo Alto, California]].<ref name="Eisler">Kim Eisler, [http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/greg-craigs-a-list/ Greg Craig's A-List], ''Washingtonian'' (July 1, 2000).</ref>

Craig attended [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] in [[New Hampshire]].<ref name="Eisler"/><ref name="Lin">Kevin Lin, [http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/2/11/gregory-b-craig-67-on-a/ Gregory B. Craig '67], ''Harvard Crimson'' (February 11, 2009).</ref> He then attended [[Harvard College|Harvard University]], graduating with an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] in 1967.<ref name="Eisler"/><ref name="Lin"/><ref name="OfficialBio">[https://www.skadden.com/professionals/gregory-b-craig Gregory B. Craig], Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (accessed July 22, 2015).</ref> At Harvard, Craig sang with the [[Harvard Krokodiloes|Krokodiloes]], Harvard's oldest all-male ''[[a cappella]]'' group.<ref name="Lin"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kroks.com/files/images/Kroks%20of%201966.jpg |title=Group photo of 1966 Harvard Krokodiloes from group's website |website=kroks.com}}</ref> Craig graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] with a concentration in history.<ref name="Lin"/> His senior thesis was on [[Upton Sinclair]]'s campaigns during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="Lin"/> Craig was elected chairman of the [[Harvard Undergraduate Council]] during his senior year.<ref name="Lin"/> During his time at Harvard, Craig became familiar with prominent faculty members, including [[Henry Kissinger]].<ref name="Lin"/> During this period, Craig [[Freedom Summer|registered black voters in Mississippi]], tutored children in [[Harlem]], and "became Harvard's most widely quoted student leader in [[opposition to the Vietnam War]]."<ref name="Grove"/>

Craig considered claiming [[conscientious objector]] status to avoid the [[Draft lottery (1969)|Vietnam-era draft]], but he eventually submitted himself to the [[Exeter, New Hampshire]] draft board; he said that "I thought it was the only honorable thing to do."<ref name="Grove"/> Craig received a [[Selective Service System#Classifications|medical deferment]] for a shoulder injury.<ref name="Eisler"/><ref name="Grove"/> Craig earned a [[Lionel de Jersey Harvard Fellowship]] to study at [[Cambridge University]] in England,<ref name="Lin"/> where he received a [[master's degree]] in historical studies in 1968.<ref name="Eisler"/><ref name="OfficialBio"/>

After returning to United States, Craig attended [[Yale Law School]], where he was a member of the same class as [[Bill Clinton]], [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham]], and [[David E. Kendall]].<ref name="Eisler"/> In the fall of 1971, Craig sublet his apartment in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] to Rodham and Clinton for $75 a month.<ref name="Kashino"/> Craig received his [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree from Yale Law School in 1972.<ref name="OfficialBio"/><ref name="Jones">Ashby Jones, [https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/01/27/why-greg-craig-chose-skadden-over-williams-connolly/ Why Greg Craig Chose Skadden Over Williams & Connolly], ''Wall Street Journal'' (January 27, 2010).</ref> After graduating, Craig, along with Kendall, took a job at the law firm of [[Williams & Connolly]].<ref name="Eisler"/><ref name="Jones"/>

==Legal and government career from 1972 to 2009==
Craig worked mostly at Williams & Connolly from 1972 to 2009, with his tenure there interrupted by periods working as a [[public defender]], on the staff of Senator [[Edward M. Kennedy]], at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], and at the [[Clinton White House]].<ref name="Eisler"/>

Three years after Craig began at Williams & Connolly, he left to follow his wife to [[Connecticut]], where she obtained a [[Master of Fine Arts|master's degree in fine arts]].<ref name="Eisler"/> While in Connecticut, Craig worked as a public defender.<ref name="Eisler"/>

Craig later returned to Williams & Connolly, where he was protege of [[Joe Califano]] and [[Edward Bennett Williams]].<ref name="Grove"/> One of Craig's first big criminal cases at Williams & Connolly was that of multimillionaire D.C. developer Dominic F. Antonelli Jr., the chairman of Parking Management Inc. (PMI), who was charged with [[bribery]] and [[conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] in connection with an attempt to secure a D.C. government lease from D.C. official Joseph P. Yeldell, his codefendant. Craig defended Antonelli alongside his Williams & Connolly colleagues Kendall and Williams.<ref name="Eisler"/><ref>Felicity Barringer, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/09/11/jury-picked-in-antonelli-yeldell-trial/c8adfc02-fb94-4f34-89f2-3461b87aa68c/ Jury Picked In Antonelli, Yeldell Trial], ''Washington Post'' (September 11, 1979).</ref><ref name="Palazzolo">Joe Palazzolo, [http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/07/17/a-long-career-near-the-spotlight-but-rarely-in-it/ A Long Career Near the Spotlight But Rarely in It], ''Main Justice'' (July 17, 2009).</ref> Antonelli and Yeldell were convicted by a jury in Washington, but that conviction was vacated on grounds of [[Juror misconduct#Bias|jury bias]], and at a retrial in [[Philadelphia]] the two men were acquitted.<ref name="Palazzolo"/><ref>Emma Brown, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/22/AR2010072205644.html D.C. real estate, parking-lot magnate Dominic F. 'Nick' Antonelli Jr. dies at 88], ''Washington Post'' (July 23, 2010).</ref> Craig is an admirer of Edward Bennett Williams, saying that he was "the great lawyer of our generation."<ref name="Seccombe">Mike Seccombe, [http://vineyardgazette.com/news/2008/08/04/defender-president-clinton-greg-craig-stumps-obama Defender of President Clinton, Greg Craig Stumps for Obama], ''Vineyard Gazette'' (August 4, 2008).</ref>

In 1981, Craig was a member of the team that represented [[John W. Hinckley, Jr.]], who [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan]]; Hinckley was found [[not guilty by reason of insanity]].<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="OfficialBio"/> Craig worked in the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy as his chief defense, national security, and foreign policy aide from 1984 to 1988.<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="OfficialBio"/> Craig also defended Ted Kennedy's nephew [[William Kennedy Smith]] on charges of assault; William Kennedy Smith had earlier been acquitted on rape charges in 1991.<ref name="Lewis"/>

Craig also served as chairman of the International Human Rights Law Group (later [[Global Rights]]).<ref name="Tibet">Steven Lee Myers, [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/01/world/jiang-visit-washington-after-jiang-moves-albright-appoints-new-coordinator-focus.html The Jiang Visit: In Washington, After Jiang Moves On, Albright Appoints New Coordinator to Focus on Tibet], ''New York Times'' (November 1, 1997).</ref>

In 1996, Craig was offered the post of White House Counsel by Bill Clinton, but Craig declined.<ref name="Eisler, p. 275">Eisler, ''Masters of the Game'', p. 275.</ref> Secretary of State [[Madeleine K. Albright]] appointed Craig to the post of [[Director of Policy Planning]] at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1997.<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="OfficialBio"/> Craig served in that post from June 1997 to 1998.<ref name="OfficialBio"/><ref name="Tibet"/> As policy planning director, Craig served as a senior advisor to Albright<ref name="Tibet"/> and led the State Department's internal [[think tank]].<ref name="Seccombe"/> In October 1997, Albright gave Craig the additional post of Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs, in order "to focus attention on [[Human rights in Tibet|China's suppression of Tibet's cultural and religious traditions]]."<ref name="Tibet"/>

Craig worked in the White House during the Clinton administration from 1998 to 1999, holding the title of [[Assistant to the President]] and special counsel.<ref name="OfficialBio"/> Craig's old friend and law partner Kendall was Clinton's personal attorney.<ref name="Grove"/> Craig was brought on specifically to coordinate the White House's defense of Clinton during [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment proceedings]] against him. Termed the "quarterback" by Clinton, Craig worked from the [[West Wing]] and oversaw legal, political, congressional, and [[public relations]] aspects of the defense, reporting regularly to President Clinton and consulting with [[John Podesta]], the [[White House chief of staff]].<ref name="Grove"/> However, Craig claimed in an interview with [[PBS Frontline]] in July 2000 that Podesta was the one who recruited him and that Podesta told him that the White House needed a "coordinator quarterback."<ref name=frontlinespeaks>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/craig.html|title=Interview: Georgory Craig|publisher=PBS Frontline|date=July 2000|accessdate=April 10, 2019}}</ref> He also stated that he mainly coordinated with Podesta and that "I could name to John ten other lawyers in America that could do the job as well, if not better."<ref name=frontlinespeaks /> Craig also stated that he wanted to remain in the State Department and that when Podesta first asked him to be the lawyer, he told him "Forgive me, John, if I'm not enthusiastic about the idea."<ref name=frontlinespeaks />

Craig's style was collegial in nature and he earned the respect of other White House staffers, although there was tension with then-White House Counsel [[Charles Ruff]]; according to the ''Washington Post'', "each man behaved as if he were the one in charge" and the two had different professional styles.<ref name="Grove"/> Ruff, Kendall, and Craig were three members of a five-member team of lawyers defending the president; the other two were [[Cheryl D. Mills]] and [[Dale Bumpers]].<ref>Russell Spivak, [https://www.lawfareblog.com/premature-primer-how-do-impeachment-proceedings-actually-work A Premature Primer: How Do Impeachment Proceedings Actually Work?], ''Lawfare'' (June 5, 2017).</ref> 

Craig then returned to private practice at Williams & Connolly as a partner.<ref name="McKinnon">John D. McKinnon & T.W. Farnum, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123879462053487927 "Hedge Fund Paid Summers $5.2 Million in Past Year], ''Wall Street Journal'' (April 4, 2009).</ref> During the [[Elián González affair]] in 2000, Craig represented Juan Miguel Gonzáles, the Cuban father of six-year-old [[Elián González]], in an international [[child custody]] dispute involving "the volatile field of [[Cuban-American relations]]" which ended with the boy's return to Cuba.<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="OfficialBio"/><ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0004/22/bn.12.html Greg Craig Discusses the Elian Gonzalez Custody Battle] (transcript of April 22, 2000 CNN interview).</ref>

Other high-profile clients represented by Craig while at Williams & Connolly include [[Richard Helms]], the ex-[[director of Central Intelligence]] who was convicted of lying to Congress over the CIA's role in removing [[Salvador Allende]];<ref name="Seccombe"/> [[United Nations Secretary-General|UN Secretary-General]] [[Kofi Annan]];<ref name="Seccombe"/><ref name="HsuHeldermanAcquittal">Spencer S. Hsu & Rosalind S. Helderman, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/gregory-craig-found-not-guilty-of-lying-to-investigators-probing-work-to-aid-ukraine-president/2019/09/04/b1273304-cf26-11e9-b29b-a528dc82154a_story.html Gregory Craig found not guilty of lying to investigators probing work to aid Ukraine president], ''Washington Post'' (September 4, 2019).</ref> [[Soviet dissident]] [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]];<ref name="HsuHeldermanAcquittal"/> and Panamanian dictator [[Manuel Noriega]].<ref name="Seccombe"/> He reported earning a salary of $1.7 million from the firm in 2008.<ref name="McKinnon"/>

==Obama presidential campaign==
Craig met Barack and [[Michelle Obama]] for the first time in 2003, at the home of [[Vernon Jordan]], a close friend of the Clintons, and the then-Illinois state senator impressed Craig.<ref name="Kashino"/><ref>Eisler, ''Masters of the Game'', p. 273.</ref> Despite close ties to the Clintons, Craig urged Obama to run for president, and became an informal foreign-policy adviser to him.<ref name="Debates">[http://www.newsweek.com/ch-6-battling-it-out-great-debates-85159 Ch. 6: Battling it Out in the Great Debates], ''Newsweek'' (November 6, 2008).</ref> In March 2007, Craig publicly declared his support for Obama in the [[Democratic Presidential Primary 2008|2008 Democratic presidential primary]]; because of his close ties to the Clintons, this attracted widespread attention.<ref name="Kashino"/><ref>George Packer, [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/01/28/the-choice-6 The Choice: The Clinton-Obama battle reveals two very different ideas of the Presidency], ''New Yorker'' (January 28, 2008).</ref>

In summer 2008, during the presidential campaign, Obama decided to support legislation (specifically, an amendment to the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]]) to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies that cooperated with the [[NSA warrantless surveillance (2001–07)|Bush administration's warrantless NSA wiretapping program]].<ref name="Risen">James Risen, [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/us/politics/02fisa.html Obama Voters Protest His Switch on Telecom Immunity], ''New York Times'' (July 2, 2008).</ref> This angered many Democrats, because it was a reversal of Obama's earlier vow during the primary campaign to oppose such legislation and to [[filibuster]] against it.<ref name="Risen"/> In his role as an advisor to the Obama campaign, Craig defended Obama's reversal, and said that Obama "concluded that with FISA expiring, that it was better to get a compromise than letting the law expire."<ref name="Risen"/> This was incorrect, as FISA has no expiration date; journalist [[Glenn Greenwald]] sharply criticized Craig for the "flat-out false" statement.<ref>Glenn Greenwald, [http://www.salon.com/2008/07/02/obama_fisa_2/ Obama advisor Greg Craig: Adding insult to injury], ''Salon'' (July 2, 2008).</ref>

During the campaign, Craig "seemed on a mission to destroy Hillary's political future." He emerged as "an outspoken critic of Hillary's foreign policy experience and ... a leading contender to be secretary of state after Obama got the nomination."<ref name="Eisler, p. 275"/>

In late summer and fall 2008, Craig, a skilled trial lawyer, assumed the role of [[John McCain]] in Barack's preparations for the [[United States presidential election debates, 2008|presidential debates]].<ref name="Debates"/> The campaign expected "that McCain would condescend to Obama as a wet-behind-the-ears rookie" and Craig played his role as such.<ref name="Debates"/> Craig-as-McCain "glowered" at Obama in debate prep, saying, "Do not lecture me about the war. Do not tell me how to deploy men in combat. I was flying a jet over Vietnam when you were in grade school."<ref name="Debates"/> Obama was tutored to remain unflinching and counterattack by listing McCain's past misjudgments.<ref name="Debates"/> In the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]], Craig played a similar role in preparing [[John Kerry]] for the debates; Craig played [[George W. Bush]] in practice sessions.<ref>Jim VandeHei, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17094-2004Sep12.html Debate Team Helps Kerry Prepare for Face-Off With Bush], ''Washington Post'' (September 13, 2004).</ref>

==White House Counsel in Obama administration==
[[File:The White House Counsel Greg Craig and President Obama talk to Retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Craig in the [[Oval Office]] with President [[Barack Obama]] on May 1, 2009, as photographed by [[Pete Souza]].]]
In its November 2008 issue, shortly before the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], the ''[[ABA Journal]]'' speculated that Craig might be named Secretary of State in an Obama administration.<ref>[http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/the_lawyers_who_may_run_america_obama The Lawyers Who May Run America], ''ABA Journal'' (November 2008).</ref> Craig also reportedly hoped for that position or another foreign-policy post in the Obama administration, which did not materialize.<ref name="Poised">Anne E. Kornblut & Ellen Nakashima, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111300071.html White House counsel poised to give up post], ''Washington Post'' (November 13, 2009).</ref> Obama ultimately appointed Craig to serve as his first White House Counsel.<ref name="Poised"/> Craig served in that post from January 2009 to January 2010.<ref name="OfficialBio"/>

In his first year in the Obama administration, Craig handled "one of the most difficult portfolios in the [[West Wing]]."<ref name="Zeleny">Jeff Zeleny, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/politics/13craig.html Craig Steps Down as White House Lawyer], ''New York Times'' (November 13, 2009).</ref> Craig drafted the [[Executive order (United States)|executive order]] banning the use of [[torture]] and another executive order which ordered the closure within a year of the [[Guantanamo Bay prison camp]] (which never materialized).<ref name="Zeleny"/> Over the objections of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], Craig also recommended the release of the "[[Torture Memos]]" of the [[Office of Legal Counsel]] of the [[U.S. Department of Justice]].<ref name="Kashino"/><ref name="Zeleny"/> In an interview in 2011 (after leaving his post as White House counsel), Craig said of the release of the memos: "I think the President made the right decision. It was in the public interest, and it did no damage to [[national security]]."<ref name="Kashino"/> Craig added that the memos were the subject of a [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] suit and that he believed that the likelihood of a judge ordering those memos released was high in any case.<ref name="Kashino"/>

Craig also "was at the center of the White House decision to reverse itself and withhold photographs of abuse of detainees."<ref name="Zeleny"/>

As White House counsel, Craig also oversaw the successful [[List of federal judges appointed by Barack Obama|confirmation]] of [[Sonia Sotomayor]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref name="Poised"/> Craig oversaw the [[vetting]] of several [[Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates|prospective nominees]] and, once Sotomayor was selected, helped prepare her for Senate confirmation hearings.<ref name="Kashino"/><ref>[https://www.skadden.com/insights/conversation-former-white-house-counsel-gregory-b-craig A Conversation With Former White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig], Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (March 31, 2010).</ref><ref>Erin Miller, [http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/03/lecture-by-gregory-craig-picking-supreme-court-justices/ Lecture by Gregory Craig: Picking Supreme Court Justices], SCOTUSBlog (March 5, 2010).</ref>

Since the summer of 2009, "word had been leaking that Greg Craig's days [as White House Counsel] were numbered and that Obama campaign legal counsel [[Robert Bauer|Bob Bauer]] would be moving in to take Craig's spot."<ref name="Clemons">Steve Clemons, [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/11/16/the-assassination-of-greg-craig.html The Assassination of Greg Craig], ''Daily Beast'' (November 16, 2009).</ref> 
Craig did not know who was responsible for the sustained leaks, although "he suspected they were driven by someone in the White House who was frustrated with the slow progress on shuttering" the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.<ref name="Clemons"/> [[Nina Totenberg]] of [[NPR]] reported that "There doesn't seem to be much doubt that these leaks came at least indirectly from [[Rahm Emanuel]]," the [[White House chief of staff]].<ref name="Clemons"/> [[Jonathan Alter]] reported that Craig and Emanuel had a bad relationship, with Emanuel believing that Craig was attempting "to build up his own mini-[[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] instead of focusing on bread-and-butter legal issues."<ref name="Hohmann">James Hohmann, [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37402.html Book: White House offered Greg Craig judgeship], ''Politico'' (May 18, 2010).</ref> Alter also reported that Emanuel became enraged when Craig personally traveled with four [[Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay|Chinese Muslim Uighurs released from Guantanamo]] to Bermuda.<ref name="Hohmann"/>

By late October 2009, the ''New York Times'' reported that Craig had "for months now ... endured speculation in print and around the White House about whether he is on the way out."<ref name="Doubt">[[Peter Baker (author)|Peter Baker]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/politics/22craig.html?_r=1&hp Fate of White House Counsel Is in Doubt], ''New York Times'' (October 21, 2009).</ref> Craig stated then that he had no plans to leave and that the president had faith in him, but the ''Times'' reported that "colleagues and Democrats close to the White House said they expected him to move on around the end of the year, and they have been talking about possible replacements."<ref name="Doubt"/> By that time, Craig's authority had diminished: Emanuel had assigned [[Pete Rouse]] to handle Guantánamo issues, and, once after Craig started the search that led to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, assigned [[Ronald A. Klain]] and [[Cynthia Hogan]] to handle the confirmation.<ref name="Zeleny"/><ref name="Doubt"/>

[[File:Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar with White House Counsel Greg Craig 48-DPA-374 DSC 0015 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Secretary of the Interior [[Ken Salazar]] with Craig in December 2009.]]
Jonathan Alter reported that Obama "tried to avoid a high-profile ouster" of Craig by offering him an appointment to a [[United States federal judge|federal judgeship]], which Craig declined.<ref name="Hohmann"/> Craig was subsequently forced out, learning of his impending ouster while reading the morning paper.<ref name="Hohmann"/>

On November 13, 2009, the White House announced that Craig would leave his post at the end of the year, and would be replaced by [[Robert Bauer]].<ref name="Zeleny"/><ref>The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-obama-greg-craig-and-bob-bauer Statement from President Obama on Greg Craig and Bob Bauer] (November 13, 2009).</ref><ref name="Henry">Ed Henry, [http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/13/obama.staff.shakeup/index.html Officials: Top White House lawyer to be pushed out], CNN (November 13, 2009).</ref>

Craig's ouster following the "whisper campaign" against him angered his friends and supporters inside and outside the White House, who viewed him as a scapegoat.<ref name="Zeleny"/><ref name="Hohmann"/><ref name="Doubt"/><ref name="Henry"/> Obama's handling of Craig's resignation was also criticized in the media. [[Steve Clemons]] called it "the assassination of Greg Craig" and said that "the White House counsel was done in by a scurrilous leaks campaign."<ref name="Clemons"/> [[Maureen Dowd]] wrote that "the way the Craig matter was handled sent a chill through some Obama supporters, reminding them of the icy manner in which the Clintons cut loose [[Kimba Wood]] and [[Lani Guinier]]."<ref name="Dowd">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/opinion/25dowd.html |title=Thanks For the Memories |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |work=New York Times |date=November 25, 2009 |accessdate=March 5, 2013}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Drew]] called it "the shabbiest episode of [Obama's] presidency."<ref name="Dowd"/>

Craig's resignation took effect on January 3, 2010.<ref name="Henry"/> He became the highest-ranking official to leave the Obama administration up until that point.<ref name="Zeleny"/>

==Private practice after the White House==
Craig stated that he had planned to return to Williams & Connolly from the White House until he got a call from an old friend, [[Clifford Sloan]], and a new friend, [[Joseph H. Flom]], who asked him to join their law firm, [[Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom]], to establish a crisis-management team and a new practice group focusing on global issues and litigation strategies.<ref name="Kashino"/> On January 27, 2010, Skadden announced that Craig had joined the firm's Washington, D.C. office as a Global Policy and Litigation Strategy Practice Group partner.<ref>[https://www.skadden.com/news-events/former-obama-white-house-counsel-gregory-b-craig-joins-skadden Former Obama White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig Joins Skadden] (press release), Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (January 27, 2010).</ref>

In April 2010, it was reported that Craig, as a Skadden partner, was representing the [[investment banking]] firm [[Goldman Sachs]]; the firm engaged Craig to advise it on litigation strategy in a [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] civil suit.<ref name="Baker">[[Peter Baker (author)|Peter Baker]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/business/21craig.html Ex-Adviser to Obama Now Lawyer for Goldman], ''The New York Times'' (April 21, 2010), B11).</ref> When asked about Craig's new role, [[White House Press Secretary|Deputy White House Press Secretary]] [[Bill Burton (political consultant)|Bill Burton]] said that the administration did not have any advance knowledge of Craig's new role and also said, "I assume that people who leave the administration know [the Obama administration's rules barring former White House officials from lobbying for [[Revolving door (politics)|two years after leaving office]]] and are following those rules."<ref name="Baker"/> Craig said "I am a lawyer, not a lobbyist. Goldman Sachs has hired me as a lawyer&mdash;to provide legal advice and to assist in its legal representation&mdash;and that is what I am doing."<ref name="Baker"/> Legal representation is not covered by the administration's ban.<ref name="Baker"/>

In 2011, Craig initially represented former Senator [[John Edwards]], a former presidential and vice presidential candidate, in the federal prosecution of Edwards on charges of illegally using campaign funds to cover up his affair with [[Rielle Hunter]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Seelye|first=Katharine Q.|title=Edwards Indicted in Campaign Fund Case|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/us/politics/04edwards.html|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Gerstein">Josh Gerstein, [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/76942.html John Edwards: How the prosecution stumbled], ''Politico'' (June 1, 2012).</ref> Edwards was subsequently [[Acquittal|acquitted]].<ref name="Gerstein"/>

In 2012, Craig co-chaired (with former Republican congressman [[Vin Weber]]) a bipartisan task force formed by the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] which looked into [[Egypt–United States relations|American policy toward Egypt]], then led by [[President of Egypt|President]] [[Mohamed Morsi]].<ref name="TaskForce">Peter Baker, [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/bipartisan-group-recommends-middle-ground-on-aid-to-egypt/?ref=topics Bipartisan Group Recommends Middle Ground on Aid to Egypt], ''New York Times'' (November 28, 2012).</ref> The task force recommended a middle ground on continuing U.S. economic and [[United States military aid|military aid]] to Egypt; the group's report, released in November 2012, called for "an approach whereby the United States continues to provide substantial economic and military aid while linking both direct support and backing for international financial support to Egyptian cooperation on key U.S. interests."<ref name="TaskForce"/>

Craig led a team of lawyers from Skadden who were commissioned by the [[government of Ukraine]] under [[President of Ukraine|President]] [[Viktor Yanukovich]] to look into errors in [[Criminal cases against Yulia Tymoshenko since 2010|the trial]] of former [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|Ukrainian prime minister]] [[Yulia Tymoshenko]] on abuse-of-power charges.<ref name="Herszenhorn">David M. Herszenhorn & David E. Sanger, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/world/europe/failings-found-in-trial-of-ukrainian-ex-premier.html Failings Found in Trial of Ukrainian Ex-Premier], ''New York Times'' (December 12, 2012).</ref> The report, released in December 2012, found that Tymoshenko was [[Right to counsel|denied legal counsel]] at "critical stages" of the trial and that her lawyers were wrongly barred from calling witnesses in her defense.<ref name="Herszenhorn"/> The report concluded that Tymoshenko's [[right to a fair trial]] "appears to have been compromised to a degree that is troubling under Western standards of [[due process]] and the [[rule of law]]."<ref name="Herszenhorn"/> However, the report also concluded that Tymoshenko's conviction was supported by the evidence presented at trial and rejected the claim that the prosecution of Tymoshenko was politically motivated by Yanukovich to obstruct the Ukrainian opposition.<ref name="Herszenhorn"/> Tymoshenko's attorneys rejected that finding, saying that the report was not independent because it was commissioned by the Ukrainian government, which paid Skadden an undisclosed sum of money,<ref name="Herszenhorn"/> and human rights organizations regarded the report as a "whitewash."<ref name="DilanianNBC">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/former-obama-lawyer-greg-craig-leaves-firm-after-brush-mueller-n868786|title=Former Obama lawyer Greg Craig leaves firm after brush with Mueller probe|last=Dilanian|first=Ken|date=April 24, 2018|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>

Craig promoted the report to journalists and members of Congress without much success.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/us/politics/mueller-foreign-lobbying.html|title=Mueller Passes 3 Cases Focused on Illicit Foreign Lobbying to Prosecutors in New York|access-date=2018-08-01|language=en}}</ref> Experts say that Craig should have registered as a foreign agent, as lobbyists are required to do when they lobby on behalf of foreign governments.<ref name=":0" />

== Resignation, indictment, and acquittal==
In April 2018, Craig resigned from Skadden following the indictment of [[Alex van der Zwaan]], a lawyer at the firm's [[London]] office. Craig was the lead attorney supervising the firm's work for former Ukrainian president [[Viktor Yanukovych]], in which van der Zwaan participated. Van der Zwaan was later charged by the [[Mueller investigation]] and pleaded guilty to [[making false statements]].<ref name="DilanianNBC"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/former_white_house_counsel_greg_craig_leaves_skadden_he_was_lead_lawyer_on|title=Greg Craig, former White House counsel and lead lawyer on Ukraine report, leaves Skadden|last=Cassens Weiss|first=Debra|date=2018-04-24|work=[[ABA Journal]]|access-date=2018-08-01|others=Debra Cassens Weiss|language=en}}</ref> Later in 2018, NBC and CNN reported that following a referral from Mueller's office, the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]] was investigating Craig and others, including ex-lobbyist [[Tony Podesta]] and former Republican U.S. Representative [[Vin Weber]], as part of a broader investigation into the activities of [[Paul Manafort]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/01/tony-podesta-under-investigation-following-special-counsel-referral.html|title=Federal prosecutors said to be investigating lobbyist Tony Podesta after special counsel referral|last=Wang|first=Christine|date=2018-07-31|publisher=[[CNBC]]|access-date=2018-08-01}}</ref> 

In early April 2019, Craig's lawyers said that they expected him to be indicted by Mueller on charges of concealing and falsifying material facts relating to the investigation's inquiry into [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]] violations, centering around the lobbying work he performed in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nicole Darrah |title=Lawyers for Greg Craig, ex-Obama White House counsel, say they expect him to be charged with foreign lobbying violations |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/greg-craig-obama-white-house-counsel-foreign-lobbying-violations |accessdate=11 April 2019 |work=Fox News |date=10 April 2019 |quote=FARA violations were only rarely prosecuted until Mueller took aim at Paul Manafort}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Christina Wilkie |last2=Kevin Breuninger |title=Obama White House counsel Gregory Craig charged by federal prosecutors over alleged Ukraine lies |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/obama-white-house-counsel-gregory-craig-charged-by-federal-prosecutors.html|accessdate=11 April 2019 |work=CNBC |date=11 April 2019 |quote=The charges reportedly stem from the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election led by special counsel Robert Mueller}}</ref> Craig was indicted on April 11, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/us/politics/gregory-craig-indictment.html |title=Gregory Craig, Ex-Obama Aide, Is Indicted on Charges of Lying to Justice Dept. |last=Vogel |first=Kenneth P. |date=2019-04-11 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-04-12 |last2=Benner |first2=Katie |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Craig's former law firm, Skadden, paid a $4.6 million fine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712862511/lobbyists-see-the-indictment-of-powerful-lawyer-gregory-craig-as-a-warning|title=Lobbyists See The Indictment Of Powerful Lawyer Gregory Craig As A Warning|last=Overby|first=Peter|date=2019-04-12|website=[[NPR]]|language=en|access-date=2019-04-15}}</ref> The charges state that Manafort hired Craig and people in his law firm to write a report which would show favor towards Yanukovich, who was known for his close ties to the Russian government, and that Manafort paid them "millions of dollars."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-11/ex-skadden-lawyer-greg-craig-is-charged-over-work-with-manafort |title=In Craig Indictment, a Top Law Firm Tries to Hide Lobbying |date=April 16, 2019 |website=Bloomberg.com |accessdate=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/former-democratic-w-h-counsel-indicted-in-manafort-case-fallout-1489351747542 |title=Former Democratic W.H. counsel indicted in Manafort case fallout |first=Rachel |last=Maddow |date=April 12, 2019 |website=MSNBC |accessdate=April 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gregory-craig-ex-obama-white-house-counsel-expects-to-be-charged-in-relation-to-ukrainian-work-with-manafort-his-lawyers-say/2019/04/10/9c0e0b32-4c04-11e9-93d0-64dbcf38ba41_story.html |title=Gregory Craig, ex-Obama White House counsel, expects to be charged in relation to Ukrainian work with Manafort, his lawyers say |first1=Rosalind S. |last1=Helderman |first2=Tom |last2=Hamburger |date=April 10, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |accessdate=April 17, 2019}}</ref>

Craig pleaded not guilty,<ref name="Montague">Zach Montague, [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/us/politics/gregory-craig-pleads-not-guilty.html Gregory Craig Pleads Not Guilty to Lying to Justice Dept.], ''New York Times'' (April 12, 2019).</ref> and testified in his own defense.<ref name="LaFraniere">Sharon LaFraniere, [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/us/politics/gregory-craig-acquitted.html Gregory Craig Acquitted on Charge of Lying to Justice Department], ''New York Times'' (September 4, 2019).</ref> Prosecutors did not call Manafort as a witness.<ref name="LaFraniere"/> The jury was informed by the judge not to consider possible offences done before October 2013 because the statute of limitations for those actions had run out. The jury acquitted Craig after less than five hours of deliberation.<ref name="LaFraniere"/>

==Personal life==
Craig is married to Derry Noyes.<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="Grove">Lloyd Grove & John F. Harris, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/craig111998.htm Crisis Quarterback: Gregory Craig Is Calling the Plays On Clinton's Team], ''Washington Post'' (November 19, 1998), D01.</ref> The two were married on July 27, 1974, in [[New Canaan, Connecticut]]. Derry is the daughter of [[Eliot Noyes]], the noted industrial designer known for his work on the [[IBM Selectric]] typewriter.<ref name="Eisler, p. 70">Eisler, ''Masters of the Game'', p. 70.</ref> Derry Craig is a [[graphic designer]].<ref name="Grove"/>

Craig lives in the [[Cleveland Park]] neighborhood of Washington, in a home purchased for $2 million in 1990.<ref>[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/homes/welcome-to-obamaland/ Welcome to Obamaland], ''Washingtonian'' (August 1, 2009).</ref>

==See also==
*[[Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (2019)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*Kim Eisler, ''Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2010).

==External links==
{{commons category|Greg Craig}}
* [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/gregory-b-craig Official biography] from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
* {{C-SPAN|Gregory Craig}}
* {{NYTtopic | people/c/gregory_b_craig}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[White House Counsel]]|years=2009–2010}}
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{{Obama Administration personnel}}
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[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:American lawyers]]
[[Category:American political consultants]]
[[Category:Clinton administration personnel]]
[[Category:Directors of Policy Planning]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Obama administration personnel]]
[[Category:People from Middlebury, Vermont]]
[[Category:Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia]]
[[Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C. Democrats]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:White House Counsels]]
[[Category:Yale Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom alumni]]
[[Category:People from Cleveland Park]]