Eisen, Norman L., 1960-

<p>Norman L. Eisen (born November 11, 1960) is an American politician. He served as a counsel for the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment process of President Donald J. Trump in 2020. He is also a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He served as White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform, United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and board chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). He is the author of <i>The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House</i> (2018).</p>

<p>Eisen's parents were immigrants to the United States of Jewish ancestry and he grew up working in his family's hamburger stand in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. degree from Brown University in 1985 and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1991, both with honors. While at Harvard, he met future President Barack Obama, then also a first-year law student.</p>

<p>From 1985 to 1988, between college and law school, Eisen worked as the Assistant Director of the Los Angeles office of the Anti-Defamation League. He investigated antisemitism and other civil rights violations, promoted Holocaust education and advanced U.S.–Israel relations.</p>

<p>After graduating from Harvard in 1991, Eisen practiced law in Washington, D.C. for over 18 years with the Zuckerman Spaeder law firm. He was named as one of Washington's top lawyers by <i>Washingtonian</i> magazine. He specialized in investigations of complex financial fraud, including Enron, Refco, the ADM antitrust case, and the subprime financial collapse.</p>

<p>In 2003, Eisen co-founded Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog organization. From 2016 until February 11, 2019 he was chair of the board and co-counsel on litigation matters, including emoluments cases in New York and Maryland federal courts (<i>CREW v. Trump</i> and <i>D.C. and Maryland v. Trump</i>, respectively).</p>

<p>From 2007 to 2009, Eisen was active in the presidential campaign of his law school classmate Barack Obama before joining the transition team of then-President-elect Obama as deputy counsel. On January 20, 2009, Obama named him Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the White House.</p>

<p>During 2009 and 2010, Eisen also contributed to the administration's open government effort, including putting the White House visitor logs on the internet; its response to the campaign finance decision in <i>Citizens United v. FEC</i>; and its financial regulatory plan, which is the basis for Dodd–Frank. His other activities included reviewing the background of potential administration officials, and expanding the application of the Freedom of Information Act.</p>

<p>Eisen became the first Ambassador to the Czech Republic nominated by President Obama. As ambassador, he developed a "three pillars" approach to the U.S.–Czech relationship, emphasizing (1) strategic and defense cooperation; (2) commercial and economic ties; and (3) shared values. During his time as ambassador, he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars per year out of his own pocket to maintain the ambassador's residence and entertain dignitaries.</p>

<p>President Obama initially gave Eisen a recess appointment. The appointment was good for only one year, until the end of 2011, unless the full U.S. Senate confirmed him. The recess appointment was required because of a hold on Eisen's nomination. Eisen's nomination received bipartisan support, including from Republican Senators and conservative foreign policy scholars. The Senate ultimately confirmed Eisen on December 12, 2011.</p>

<p>He joined the Brookings Institution as a Visiting Fellow in September 2014. He is now a Senior Fellow in their Governance Studies program. At Brookings he has contributed to reports on open government, the emoluments clause, presidential obstruction of justice, and anti-corruption efforts in the natural resource sector. A prolific writer, he often contributes op-ed pieces to <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Washington Post</i>, <i>Politico</i>, <i>USA Today</i>, and other national publications.</p>

<p>In September 2018 Crown published Eisen's <i>The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House</i>. It is a sweeping history of 1918 to 2018 as seen through the windows of the Villa Petschek, a Prague palace built by Jewish businessman Otto Petschek after World War I, occupied by the Nazis later, and now the American ambassador's residence in Prague.</p>

<p>In February 2019 Eisen was appointed Consultant to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. He assists the Committee on oversight matters related to the Department of Justice, including impeachment, and other oversight and policy issues within the Committee’s jurisdiction.</p>

<p>Ambassador (ret.) Norman Eisen is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings. He is a globally-recognized authority on law, ethics, and anti-corruption. He most recently served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2020, including for the impeachment and trial of President Trump, and was a "critical force in building the case for impeachment" (Washington Post).</p>

<p>At Brookings, Eisen has authored such reports as “The Emoluments Clause,” “Presidential Obstruction of Justice,” and “The Democracy Playbook." He is the project chair of Leveraging Transparency to Reduce Corruption, a research initiative pioneering best practices in transparency and accountability to fight corruption in the natural resource value chain. He also co-chairs the Transatlantic Democracy Working Group.</p>

<p>Eisen is the author of <i>The Last Palace: Europe’s Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House</i> (Crown 2018), praised as “fascinating” (<i>Washington Post</i>), “captivating” (<i>Economist</i>), and “very pleasurable historical reading” (<i>Wall Street Journal</i>). His forthcoming volume, <i>Democracy’s Defenders: U.S. Embassy Prague, The Fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia, and Its Aftermath</i>, will be published by Brookings Institution Press in April 2020.</p>

<p>Eisen served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2014. He helped develop innovative anti-corruption and transparency strategies in cooperation with U.S. and Czech law enforcement and other stakeholders. Eisen also helped advance U.S.-Czech security and defense initiatives and deepened economic ties between the two nations.</p>

<p>From January 2009 to January 2011, Eisen worked in the White House as special counsel and special assistant to the president for ethics and government reform. The press dubbed him “
Mr. No” and the "Ethics Czar" for his tough anti-corruption approach. He also advised President Obama on lobbying regulation, campaign finance law, and open government issues, helping to assure the most scandal-free White House in modern history.</p>

<p>Before government service, Eisen was a partner in the D.C. law firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where he specialized in litigation and investigations. His cases included Enron, the ADM antitrust case, the subprime financial collapse, the Monica Lewinsky matter and the 2000 and 2004 presidential recounts. He was named one of DC’s top lawyers by <i>Washingtonian</i>.</p>

Eisen received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991 and his B.A. from Brown University in 1985, both with honors. He has been profiled in <i>The Washington Post</i>, <i>New York Magazine</i>, <i>Politico</i>, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>, and <i>Tablet</i>. He was named to the Politico 50 list of thinkers shaping American politics, and to the Forward 50 list of American Jews. His writing has appeared in <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Washington Post</i>, <i>USA Today</i>, <i>The Atlantic</i>,
<i>Politico</i>, and many other publications in the United States and internationally. He is the founder and former board chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and a former CNN commentator. Eisen was credited by director Wes Anderson as an inspiration for the character of the crusading lawyer Deputy Kovacs in the 2014 film “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”