Mark Paoletta

Senior Fellow
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Mark Paoletta served as General Counsel of the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) for three years during the Trump Administration.  He worked with agencies across the administration to help implement President Trump’s agenda, including developing the legal pathway to build the wall along the southern border.  Mark also served as Counsel to Vice President Pence during the first year of the Trump Administration.  In both positions, Mark helped prepare nominees for confirmation hearings, including playing key roles in the confirmations of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.

Mark previously served in the Bush 41 White House Counsel Office, where he played a key role in the confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas.  Mark has written extensively on Justice Thomas’ confirmation and jurisprudence, and he created two websites to honor and defend our nation’s greatest jurist.

Mark also served for a decade as Chief Counsel for Oversight & Investigations for the House Energy & Commerce Committee, managing nearly 200 investigative hearings.  He investigated waste, fraud, and abuse in the Clinton and Bush 43 Administrations, and he also conducted vigorous oversight of corporate America, investigating Enron, Worldcom, Global Crossing, HealthSouth, and many other big corporations.

In between his government service, Mr. Paoletta has served as a partner in several law firms.

Mark received his B.A. from Duquesne University (1984) and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1987).  He resides in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife, Tricia, and is the proud father of four grown children.

Filter posts:

The President’s Constitutional Power of Impoundment

Since the Founding, it has been understood that Article II vests the President with authority to decline to spend the full amount of an appropriated fund.

The History of Impoundments Before the Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Defenders of the Impoundment Control Act misunderstand the power of the purse, overread Supreme Court precedent, and fail to address unbroken Executive impoundment practice and congressional acquiescence.

Paoletta: Amazon Prime Stops Streaming Clarence Thomas Documentary During Black History Month

Recently, Amazon Prime dropped Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, an acclaimed and popular PBS documentary on Justice Clarence Thomas, making it unavailable to stream during Black History Month.

Democrats: When Trump Pauses Funds, It’s Illegal. When Biden Does It, It’s Fine

Last Congress, many Democrats, including Rep. John Yarmuth, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, claimed the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) broke the law when it paused the obligation of funds to Ukraine for 50 days to determine the best use for them.