President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Will Scharf will become White House counsel and assistant to the president. The appointment is scheduled to take effect on September 1. Scharf will succeed David Warrington, who is departing the administration for the private sector.
Scharf currently serves as the White House staff secretary, a role in which he oversees the administrative operations of the Oval Office. He previously led the National Capital Planning Commission, the body that approved the president's construction of the White House ballroom.
David Warrington, the outgoing counsel, previously served as a personal lawyer for the president and represented Trump's 2024 campaign. Trump stated on Sunday that Warrington is moving into the private sector following his tenure as the White House's top lawyer.
While the source does not provide a specific number of staff affected or a dollar amount associated with the transition, the change represents a shift in senior leadership within the Executive Office of the President. As the top lawyer, Scharf will be the primary figure overseeing the legal vetting of executive orders and judicial appointments. Federal employees and departments interacting with the White House will notice a change in the primary legal signatory and advisor for administration policies once the transition is complete.
The appointment follows Scharf’s previous work on the National Capital Planning Commission, where he was involved in the approval process for physical changes to the White House grounds, such as the new ballroom. This promotion suggests a continued reliance on officials with prior experience in both the administrative and personal legal circles of the president. The next step in this transition is the official effective date of the appointment on September 1.