# Mark Corallo

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**Mark Corallo** (born February 8, 1966)[1] is an American political communications and public relations professional, who is the co-founder and co-principal of Corallo Comstock.[2] A [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)), he formed Corallo Media Strategies, a public relations firm.[3] He was the communications director for the [U.S. Department of Justice](/source/U.S._Department_of_Justice) under [Attorney General](/source/Attorney_General_of_the_United_States) [John Ashcroft](/source/John_Ashcroft),[4] and later became a senior adviser with [The Ashcroft Group](/source/The_Ashcroft_Group).[5]

## Corallo Comstock

Corallo formed his newest firm with [Barbara Comstock](/source/Barbara_Comstock), who served as his predecessor as Public Affairs Director at the Department of Justice until 2003,[2] and prior to that, as [Republican National Committee](/source/Republican_National_Committee) [opposition research](/source/Opposition_research) director.[6] Corallo decided to convert his previous one-man shop into a joint operation after conversations with the [Hearst Corporation](/source/Hearst_Corporation), one of his clients, about hiring additional representation for their matter.[2] Corallo recommended Comstock, who, like Corallo, had assisted the defense team of [Scooter Libby](/source/Scooter_Libby). Hearst has hired Corallo and Comstock to support Hearst's attempts to quash a subpoena to compel testimony by two [San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle) journalists who broke the story of the [BALCO](/source/BALCO) steroids investigation.[2]

## Career

From 1996 to 1999, he served as press secretary to U.S. Representative and [Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee](/source/Chairman_of_the_House_Appropriations_Committee), [Bob Livingston](/source/Bob_Livingston) (R-LA), as Livingston was forced to step aside as the incoming speaker of the House in 1998 after admitting an extramarital affair.[3][7]

In December 1998, during the House debate over the [Clinton impeachment](/source/Clinton_impeachment), Speaker-elect Bob Livingston, whose own claimed infidelities were soon to be exposed, allegedly called for ending the impeachment process.[8] Corallo, then Livingston's press secretary, is alleged to have urged his boss to continue with the process.[8] Clinton was later impeached for perjury in the U.S. House of Representatives, but acquitted in the U.S. Senate. From 1999 to 2002, Corallo was the Communications Director for the [United States House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) [Committee on Government Reform](/source/Committee_on_Government_Reform), taking a leave of absence during the [2000 presidential campaign](/source/2000_United_States_presidential_election) season to serve as press secretary for Victory 2000, the [Republican National Committee](/source/Republican_National_Committee)'s official campaign effort.[3]

Corallo was chief spokesman for [U.S. Attorney General](/source/U.S._Attorney_General) [John Ashcroft](/source/John_Ashcroft) from 2002 to 2005, as the Public Affairs Director for the [Department of Justice](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice).[4] The [American Civil Liberties Union](/source/American_Civil_Liberties_Union) (ACLU) has compiled numerous examples of statements Corallo made during that period which the ACLU believes misrepresent the department's understanding of the [USA Patriot Act](/source/USA_Patriot_Act) and which were designed to mislead the press about the scope of Justice Department actions.[9]

Shortly before the indictment of [I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby](/source/I._Lewis_%22Scooter%22_Libby), Vice President [Dick Cheney](/source/Dick_Cheney)'s chief of staff, related to Libby's alleged involvement in the outing of [Valerie Plame](/source/Valerie_Plame), Corallo became a part of [Karl Rove](/source/Karl_Rove)'s "public relations defense team." Corallo spoke to the media on Rove's behalf, and correctly denied reports that Rove was under indictment for his involvement in "[Plamegate](/source/Plamegate)".[10]

In 2007 he was spokesman for possible Republican presidential candidate [Fred Thompson](/source/Fred_Thompson).[11] He also called for the resignation of Attorney General [Alberto Gonzales](/source/Alberto_Gonzales) around the same time.[12]

Corallo quit a public relations advisory role with [Blackwater Worldwide](/source/Blackwater_Worldwide) in 2006; he said that "they do have a few cowboys" and that some of its executives were "rather disdainful of anything that goes to oversight and due process." Since then he has been a spokesman for Blackwater's founder, [Erik Prince](/source/Erik_Prince), a longtime friend whom he calls "a visionary."[13][14]

Corallo was the spokesman for President [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump)'s private legal team during the investigation into possible [collusion between members of Trump's 2016 campaign and the Russian government](/source/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections). Corallo resigned that position on July 20, 2017.[15] Former FBI Director [Robert Mueller](/source/Robert_Mueller) interviewed Corallo as part of the [Office of the Special Counsel investigation](/source/Special_Counsel_investigation_(2017%E2%80%93present)).[16]

Attorney [Victoria Toensing](/source/Victoria_Toensing) represents Corallo.[17][18]

## Personal life

Corallo is a veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and is a graduate of [Georgetown University](/source/Georgetown_University) ([BA](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts)). He is married and has four children.[3]

## References

1. ["BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mark Corallo, owner of Corallo Media Strategies - POLITICO"](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/08/playbook-birthday-mark-corallo-1158022). *[Politico](/source/Politico)*

1. Paul Singer and Tory Newmyer, *K Street Files*, Roll Call, April 11, 2007, p. 7

1. [*About Mark*, Corallo Media Strategies](http://www.corallomediastrategies.com/corallo.html) Retrieved July 16, 2012

1. [Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein, *E-Mails Show Machinations to Replace Prosecutor*, Washington Post, March 23, 2007](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032202266.html)

1. ["Mark Corallo - the Ashcroft Group"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131022145049/http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com/ourteam/mark-corallo). Archived from [the original](http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com/ourteam/mark-corallo) on October 22, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.

1. [T.R. Goldman and Emma Schwartz, *DOJ Official Brings Storm by Taking the Fifth in Gonzales Flap*, Legal Times, April 2, 2007](http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1175245444489)

1. VandeHei, Jim & Leonnig, Carol D. (October 28, 2005), ["White House Braces for Indictment; Rove Said to Be Spared for Now"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/28/AR2005102800398.html), *Washington Post*

1. ["Bill Couldn't Tell Hill About Monica"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-couldnt-tell-hill-about-monica/), CBS News, September 13, 2000 (citing *The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton*, by Washington Post reporter Peter Baker)

1. [*Seeking Truth from Justice*, vol. 1, American Civil Liberties Union, July 2003](https://www.aclu.org/FilesPDFs/seekingturthfromjustice.pdf)

1. ["Rove Indictment Report Denied"](http://www.nysun.com/article/32727). *New York Sun*. May 15, 2006.

1. [Vogel, Kenneth P.](/source/Kenneth_P._Vogel) (April 3, 2007). ['Law & Order' and Lobbying](https://archive.today/20120906073204/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0407/3404.html). *Politico*.

1. Jackson, David (April 5, 2007). "[Bush team built on foundation of loyalty](https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-04-bush-team_N.htm)". *USA Today*.

1. Broder, John M. & Risen, James (October 31, 2007). ["Blackwater Mounts a Defense With Top Talent"](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/washington/01blackwater-sub.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved November 7, 2017.

1. Shapira, Ian (January 1, 2015). ["Blackwater founder Erik Prince goes to war against a former business partner"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-goes-to-war-against-a-former-business-partner/2015/01/01/23385e8a-6f39-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved November 7, 2017.

1. Seipel, Brooke (July 20, 2017). ["Trump legal team spokesman resigns: report"](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/343058-trump-legal-team-spokesman-resigns-report/). *[The Hill](/source/The_Hill_(newspaper))*. Retrieved July 21, 2017.

1. Balhaus, Rebecca (January 30, 2018). ["Mueller Seeks Interview With Ex-Spokesman for Trump's Legal Team"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-seeks-interview-with-ex-spokesman-for-trumps-legal-team-1517363052). *[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)* Special counsel Robert Mueller is seeking an interview with Mark Corallo, the former spokesman for President Donald Trump’s legal team, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, in what would be the first contact between the special counsel and a onetime member of the president’s personal legal team.

1. Haberman, Maggie; Landler, Mark; Schmidt, Michael S. (March 25, 2018). ["Trump Won't Hire Two Lawyers Whose Appointments Were Announced Days Ago"](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/us/politics/trump-digenova-toensing.html). *The New York Times*. Retrieved March 27, 2018.

1. [Mueller Has Interviewed Trump Legal Team’s Former Spokesman](https://www.thedailybeast.com/mueller-has-interviewed-trump-legal-teams-former-spokesman), *The [Daily Beast](/source/Daily_Beast)*, Betsy Woodruff, February 16, 2018; retrieved March 27, 2018.

## External links

- [Statement of Mark Corallo, Director of Public Affairs, Regarding TRAC Study](http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/December/03_opa_670.htm)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mark Corallo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Corallo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Corallo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.