John Demers | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division | |
| In office February 22, 2018 – June 25, 2021[1] | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | John P. Carlin |
| Succeeded by | Matthew G. Olsen |
| Acting United States Attorney General | |
| In office January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | John P. Carlin (acting) |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey A. Rosen (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Monty Wilkinson (acting) |
| Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division | |
| In office September 2007 – January 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1971 Gubbio, Italy |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
John Charles Demers (born September 21, 1971) is an Italian-born American lawyer who served as United States Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division (NSD) from 2018 to 2021. Following the resignation of Jeffrey A. Rosen, Demers also served as acting United States Attorney General for a few hours on January 20, 2021 until President Joe Biden signed an executive order naming Monty Wilkinson as acting United States Attorney General later that day.
As U.S. assistant attorney general for the National Security Division, Demers was the top official for national security at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).[3] During his tenure in the NSD, he was selected by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to lead the China Initiative and oversaw counterespionage operations in foreign intelligence. Although nominated by President Donald Trump, he also served under the Biden administration, where he was the longest-serving Senate-confirmed official from the Trump administration that was retained.[4]
Demer's exit from the Justice Department garnered attention when the 2017–2018 Department of Justice metadata seizures became publicly known in June 2021, which coincided with his departure. He was eventually succeeded by Matthew G. Olsen.[5] Demers returned to work at Boeing afterward, where he previously had been a vice president and general counsel leading the company's international defense, space, and security affairs.[6]
- ^ Quinn, Melissa; Hymes, Clare (June 14, 2021). "Attorney general vows to "move swiftly" amid uproar over seizure of lawmakers' data". CBS News. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Senate confirms Demers to head Justice Department national security". Reuters. February 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Wilver, Del Quentin (June 22, 2021). "DOJ national security official says he didn't know of subpoena for lawmakers' records". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Benner, Katie (June 14, 2021). "Justice Dept. Official to Step Down Amid Uproar Over Leaks Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Swan, Betsy Woodruff; Gerstein, Josh (June 14, 2021). "DOJ National Security chief John Demers to step down amid leak probe furor". Politico. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page).