Lisa Oudens Monaco[1] (born February 25, 1968) is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor and national security official who has served as the 39th and current
United States Deputy Attorney General since April 21, 2021.[2][3] She is a member of the
Democratic Party.
From 2001 to 2007, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the
United States Attorney's office for the District of Columbia, and was appointed as a member of the Justice Department's
Enron Task Force, co-leading the trial team in the prosecution of five former Enron executives from 2004 to 2006.[15] Monaco received Department of Justice Awards for Special Achievement in 2002, 2003 and 2005.[16]
She received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional service for her work on the Enron Task Force, the department's highest award.[17] After the end of the Enron trial and the Justice Department's disbandment of the special task force, Monaco worked as a special counselor to
FBI DirectorRobert Mueller. She was later chosen by Mueller to be his deputy chief of staff[18] and then his chief of staff, a position she held until January 2009.[13]
DOJ National Security Division
In January 2009, Monaco was appointed by
United States Deputy Attorney GeneralDavid W. Ogden to serve as
Associate Deputy Attorney General focusing on national security issues. She later served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, the top aide to the deputy attorney general, from February 2010 to June 2011, in an acting capacity until January 2011.[19][20]
On July 1, 2011, Monaco took office as
assistant attorney general for national security following her appointment by President
Barack Obama, leading the Justice Department division which oversees major counterterrorism and espionage cases, as well as authorizes the use of
FISA warrants.[21] In that role, she oversaw the investigation of Mansour Arbabsiar for a plot directed by the Iranian
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.[22] She also made combatting cyber threats a top priority during her tenure, creating the first ever network of national security cyber specialist prosecutors from across the country.[23][24] Monaco has been involved in meetings and attempts to close down the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[25][26]
Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor (2013–2017)
In this role, Monaco led U.S. policy to disrupt terrorist threats against the United States, including degrading
Al-Qaeda and affiliates from
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, putting the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on a lasting path to defeat, and building partner capacity to prevent and disrupt terrorist threats.[30] She also led initiatives to expand collaboration with the private sector to counter ISIL's messaging and abuse of online platforms while lifting up alternative narratives.[31][32] Separately, she led a comprehensive hostage policy reform effort from 2014 to 2015 to better align and coordinate U.S. government efforts and better serve affected families.[33]
Monaco, alongside
James Comey, was considered a frontrunner to succeed Robert Mueller as
FBI Director in 2013. Monaco would have been the first woman to serve as Director if she had been chosen; ultimately, Comey was nominated and confirmed as Director.[34]
On May 23, 2013, Daniel Klaidman, writing for the Daily Beast reported a White House official confirmed Monaco would handle "day-to-day responsibilities" for Guantanamo.[35] In late July 2014, Monaco answered a question as to whether the mandate to keep Guantanamo open would end when U.S. troops had effectively retired from Guantanamo.[36][37][38][39] Scholars at Lawfare interpreted Monaco's comment as a sign that the Obama presidency would ask the
United States Congress to pass legislation enabling Guantanamo to remain open after U.S. involvement in the Afghan war ended.[citation needed] In February 2016, the White House and Department of Defense presented a comprehensive plan to Congress to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.[40][41]
In the Homeland Security Advisor role, Monaco was also President Obama's chief cybersecurity advisor. She drove the policy decision to create the
Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center in the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2015, to provide integrated all-source analysis of intelligence on foreign cyber threats and incidents affecting U.S. national interests similar to the
National Counterterrorism Center on terrorist threats.[42][43][44] She also helped develop the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, which was released in February 2016, to guide the actions the U.S. government took over the remaining duration of the Obama administration and to put in place a long-term cybersecurity strategy, both within the federal government and across the country.[45] In July 2016, Monaco gave remarks at the International Conference on Cyber Security, outlining the Obama administration's cyber policy and announcing its new directive laying out how the federal government responds to significant cyber incidents.[46]
Finally, over her tenure as President Obama's chief
homeland security advisor, Monaco managed the United States
response to Ebola and coordinated whole-of-government preparedness efforts to prevent its spread in the United States.[47][48] In January 2017, Monaco led the Principal-Level Exercise, convening outgoing and incoming Principals across the U.S. government to share lessons learned during prior crises and discuss best practices in preparing for future crises.[49]
Private career post-Obama administration
In 2017, Monaco joined
CNN as a national security analyst.[50] In 2019, Monaco joined international law firm
O'Melveny & Myers as a partner, where she co-chaired the firm's Data Security and Privacy group.[51] During her time at O'Melveny & Myers, Monaco advised high-profile clients including
ExxonMobil,
Apple Inc., in addition to her alma mater, Harvard University.[52] She also taught at NYU Law School and was a Fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security as well as the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School.
Monaco co-authored a piece in 2018 with public health expert Vin Gupta in
Foreign Policy titled "The Next Pandemic Will Be Arriving Shortly", where she urged the U.S. government to prepare for the possibility of a future pandemic.[53]
Deputy Attorney General (2021–present)
Nomination
In April 2020, it was announced that Monaco would assist with vetting efforts for the selection of
Joe Biden's running mate in the
2020 presidential election.[54] Following Biden's election, Monaco was considered for several positions in the upcoming administration, including
Attorney General.[55]
On January 6, 2021, Monaco was nominated to serve as
Deputy Attorney General, the second most powerful position in the Department of Justice (DOJ).[56] Her nomination was endorsed by Senator
Dick Durbin, who described her as "arguably the most qualified individual ever nominated to this position".[57]
A hearing on her nomination before the
Senate Judiciary Committee was held on March 9, 2021,[58] and she was confirmed by the Senate on April 20, 2021. She was sworn in the next day.[59] A coalition of progressive groups wrote in opposition to her nomination, arguing that Monaco's professional ties with
Apple, currently under investigation by the DOJ, constituted a
conflict of interest.[60]
Tenure
As Deputy Attorney General, Monaco referred an investigation into the Trump administration's subpoena of
Apple to the
Office of the Inspector General.[61] According to The Washington Post, Attorney General
Merrick Garland has "tasked his deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco, with “surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review" since she took office.[62]
In 2023, Monaco announced that the DOJ would implement
safe harbor rules for certain
mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. Under the safe harbor rules, the DOJ will not target corporations that disclose wrongdoing they find by businesses they are acquiring. The policy is reportedly intended to encourage more self-disclosure among businesses engaging in M&A activity.[63]
Cybersecurity
In a 2021 interview with the
Associated Press, Monaco stated that
cybersecurity matters, including combating
ransomware software and other
cybercrime, would be a priority of the DOJ.[64] In an October 2021 op-ed for
CNBC, Monaco encouraged Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation that would standardize the reporting of breaches.[65]
In a 2023 interview with The Washington Post, Monaco said that disrupting hackers was key to combating ransomware attacks.[66] At an RSA security conference in 2023, Monaco touted the federal government's disruption of around $130 million in ransomware payments to what she called a "“top-five” ransomware network".[67]
^"Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco's First Day" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021. Today, Lisa O. Monaco was sworn in as the 39th Deputy Attorney General (DAG) of the United States.
^Matt Viser (April 19, 2013).
"Newton native in key counterterrorism job". Boston Globe.
Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Monaco's parents, Mary Lou and Anthony Monaco, still live in Newton. She attended Winsor School, a prestigious all-girls prep school in Boston known for its "Ivy pipeline."
^Daniel Klaidman (May 23, 2013).
"All In on Gitmo: Obama Returns to Fight for a Shutdown". Daily Beast.
Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Wilner and his allies may soon get some good news. A White House official confirmed to The Daily Beast that Obama has asked his chief counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, to handle the day-to-day responsibilities for Guantanamo. Monaco has daily access to the president and clout within the national-security bureaucracy. She also has deep experience dealing with the Guantanamo conundrum. When she first joined the administration in 2009 as a senior Justice Department official, she worked on Gitmo.
^Benjamin Wittes (July 28, 2014).
"What Lisa Monaco actually said".
Lawfare.
Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014. Over at Just Security, Steve Vladeck objects to the piece Jack, Bobby, Matt and I wrote over the weekend on Lisa Monaco's AUMF comments at the Aspen Security Forum.