{{Short description|American lawyer (born 1953)}} {{Infobox person |name = Doug Letter |birth_name = Douglas Neal Letter |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|9|27}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |education = Columbia University (BA)<br>University of California, Berkeley (JD) }} '''Douglas Neal Letter''' is an American attorney. He was general counsel to the United States House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022.<ref name="dbn"/> <ref name="politico23">{{cite news | last = Cheney | first = Kyle | author-link = Kyle Cheney (journalist) | date = 21 January 2023 | title = The House's legal lieutenant in its Trump wars speaks out — about Jan. 6 and more | url = https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/21/democratic-attorney-house-vs-trump-00078845 | work = Politico | access-date = 23 January 2023 }}</ref> He is now chief legal officer for Brady: United Against Gun Violence.<ref name="politico23"/> From 1978 to 2018, he was an attorney in the United States Department of Justice, ultimately serving as director of the appellate staff for the Civil Division.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Carrie |title=40 Years Of Experience Walks Out The Door Of The Justice Department |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/12/592937719/40-year-justice-official-quits-says-hes-concerned-about-future-of-department |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=National Public Radio |date=March 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="dbn">{{cite news |last1=McNamara |first1=Audrey |title=Nancy Pelosi Appoints Douglas Letter New General Counsel of the House |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/nancy-pelosi-appoints-douglas-letter-new-general-counsel-of-the-house |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=Daily Beast |date=December 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruger |first1=Todd |title=Unassuming House counsel is a key player in Trump-Congress fights |url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/unassuming-house-counsel-key-player-trump-congress-fights |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=Roll Call |date=June 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="at">{{cite news |last1=Mullin |first1=Joe |title=DOJ admits its lawyer misled appeals court during oral argument |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/doj-admits-its-lawyer-misled-appeals-court-during-oral-argument/ |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=Ars Technica |date=November 13, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Reason">{{cite news |last1=Tuccille |first1=J.D. |title=Justice Department Lied in Court About National Security Letters |url=https://reason.com/2014/11/14/justice-department-lied-in-court-about-n |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=Reason |date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>
During a 2014 hearing before a federal court in which Letter was representing the United States Government in a lawsuit brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, he made headlines after providing erroneous information to judges regarding the legality of National Security Letters.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sledge |first1=Matt |title=Government Admits 'Misstatement' In Key Surveillance Lawsuit |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-security-letters_n_6152634 |accessdate=July 9, 2019 |work=Huffington Post |date=November 13, 2014}}</ref><ref name="at"/><ref name="Reason"/> The Justice Department later issued a written apology to the court for Letter's statement.<ref name="at"/>
Letter received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in 1975 and his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Article One Oversight and Executive Power: A Virtual Townhall with Douglas N. Letter, 75'CC, JD UC Berkeley '78|url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/events/event/article-one-oversight-and-executive-power-virtual-townhall-douglas-n-letter-75cc-jd-uc|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724132733/https://www.college.columbia.edu/events/event/article-one-oversight-and-executive-power-virtual-townhall-douglas-n-letter-75cc-jd-uc |archive-date=2020-07-24 |access-date=July 24, 2020|website=Columbia College}}</ref>
==See also== *Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (2019–2020)
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter, Douglas}} Category:Columbia College, Columbia University alumni Category:Living people Category:UC Berkeley School of Law alumni Category:United States Department of Justice lawyers Category:United States House of Representatives lawyers Category:1953 births