MatthewWhitaker

Robert Wilkie, Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, joins Liberty & Justice with Matt Whitaker, Season 3, Episode 6. Presented by American Cornerstone Institute. Learn more about ACI at https://americancornerstone.org/ Watch every episode of Liberty & Justice at www.whitaker.tv. President Trump nominated the Honorable Robert Wilkie as the tenth Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 23, 2018, and sworn in on July 30, 2018. Mr. Wilkie served as the acting Secretary of VA from March 28 to May 29, 2018. Before confirmation as VA Secretary, Mr. Wilkie served Secretary James Mattis as his Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness—the principal advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense for Total Force Management as it relates to readiness, National Guard and Reserve component affairs, health affairs, training, and personnel requirements and management, including equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and the quality of life for military families. The son of an Army artillery commander, Mr. Wilkie spent his youth at Fort Bragg. Today, he is a United States Air Force Reserve colonel assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff. Before joining the Air Force, he served in the United States Navy Reserve with the Joint Forces Intelligence Command, Naval Special Warfare Group Two, and the Office of Naval Intelligence. Mr. Wilkie has more than 20 years of federal service at the national and international levels. During the George W. Bush Administration, Mr. Wilkie served both Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates as Assistant Secretary of Defense from 2005–2009, and he was the youngest senior leader in the Department. Mr. Wilkie was Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and a National Security Council senior director under Dr. Condoleezza Rice. He also has extensive experience in the United States Congress, including recent service as Senior Advisor to Senator Thom Tillis and service as Counsel and Advisor on International Security Affairs to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Honorable Trent Lott. Mr. Wilkie shepherded the Senate confirmation process for James Mattis, Robert Gates, and Admiral Mike Mullen (CJCS), and he was responsible for the preparation of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker for their multiple appearances before Congress in defense of the Iraqi Surge. Mr. Wilkie was Vice President for Strategic Programs for CH2M HILL, one of the world’s largest engineering and program management firms, where for five years, he held program management and advisory assignments as diverse as the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the reform and reorganization of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense Supply and Logistics System (DE&S). Mr. Wilkie holds an Honors degree from Wake Forest University, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans, a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. A graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff, Air Command and Staff College, the United States Army War College, and the Joint Forces Staff College, Mr. Wilkie has published articles in the Naval War College Review, Parameters, Armed Forces Journal International, Air and Space Power Journal, and Proceedings. He holds personal and unit decorations and the Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest noncareer civilian award of the Department. Matthew G. Whitaker was acting Attorney General of the United States (2018-2019). Before becoming acting Attorney General, Mr. Whitaker served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. He was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by President George W. Bush, serving from 2004-2009. Whitaker was the managing partner of Des Moines-based law firm Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP from 2009 until rejoining DOJ in 2017. He was also the Executive Director for FACT, The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust, an ethics and accountability watchdog, between 2014 and 2017. Mr. Whitaker is the Author of the book--Above the Law, The Inside Story of How the Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump. Buy Matt’s book here: https://amzn.to/3IXUOb8 Mr. Whitaker graduated with a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa, he was a three-year letterman on the football team, where he received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Mr. Whitaker is now a Senior Fellow with the American Cornerstone Institute, Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at America First Policy Institute, and Senior Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation. Matt is on the Board of Directors for America First Legal Foundation and is of counsel to the Graves Garrett law firm. Whitaker regularly discusses legal and political issues on Fox News, Newsmax, and other news outlets.

Eric Schmitt, US Senator from Missouri, joins Liberty & Justice with Matt Whitaker, Season 3, Episode 5. Presented by American Cornerstone Institute. Learn more about ACI at https://americancornerstone.org/. Watch every episode of Liberty & Justice at www.whitaker.tv. Eric Schmitt is a sixth-generations Missourian, from a family of farmers, teachers, and small business owners who have lived and worked in the Missouri cities of Tipton, Pilot Grove, Louisiana, and St. Louis. Eric’s grandfather served in the 7th Army during World War II and saw major combat as an infantryman. After the war, he returned to Missouri to start a small butcher shop, where Eric’s father would later work. His father worked through night school to provide for his family while earning a diploma. Eric watched his father work seven days a week on the midnight shift at the Anheuser-Busch brewery to give his family a better life, an experience that taught him the value of a strong work ethic. Eric and his wife Jaime have three children: Stephen, Sophia, and Olivia. Their son, Stephen, was born with a rare genetic condition causing tumors on his organs. He also has epilepsy, is on the autism spectrum, and is non-verbal. Stephen was Eric’s inspiration to run for office to be a voice for individuals like him and their families. One of Eric’s early legislative victories was taking on insurance companies by leading a bipartisan effort to ensure Missouri families are covered when they need it the most – including therapies for autism. On November 8, 2022, the citizens of Missouri elected Eric Schmitt as the state’s next United States Senator. Since 2019, Eric has served as Missouri’s 43rd Attorney General. Eric also led the fight to secure the border and make America energy independent. Working with a broad coalition of attorneys general, Eric ensured successful border policies were continued while fighting for domestic energy exploration to lower the price at the gas pump. Eric attended DeSmet Jesuit High School and went on to graduate cum laude from Truman State University, where he founded a Habitat for Humanity chapter. After graduation, he attended law school at Saint Louis University, where he received his J.D. and served as an editor of the Law Review. Matthew G. Whitaker was acting Attorney General of the United States (2018-2019). Before becoming acting Attorney General, Mr. Whitaker served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. He was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by President George W. Bush, serving from 2004-2009. Whitaker was the managing partner of Des Moines-based law firm Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP from 2009 until rejoining DOJ in 2017. He was also the Executive Director for FACT, The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust, an ethics and accountability watchdog, between 2014 and 2017. Mr. Whitaker is the Author of the book--Above the Law, The Inside Story of How the Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump. Buy Matt’s book here: https://amzn.to/3IXUOb8 Mr. Whitaker graduated with a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa, Mr. Whitaker was a three-year letterman on the football team, where he received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Mr. Whitaker is now a Senior Fellow with the American Cornerstone Institute, Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at America First Policy Institute, and a Senior Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation. Matt is on the Board of Directors for America First Legal Foundation. He is also Of Counsel with the Graves Garrett law firm. Whitaker regularly discusses legal and political issues on Fox News, Newsmax, and other news outlets.

Kevin Hassett, former Senior Advisor to President Trump, joins Liberty & Justice with Matt Whitaker, Season 3, Episode 4. Presented by American Cornerstone Institute. Learn more about ACI at americancornerstone.org. Watch every episode of Liberty & Justice at whitaker.tv. Kevin Hassett, an economist known for his tax policy work, is Managing Director at the Milken Institute and the Brent R. Nicklas Distinguished Fellow in Economics at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. Previously, Mr. Hassett was the 29th Chairman of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and Senior Advisor to the President. He also served as Research Director at the American Enterprise Institute, senior economist at the Federal Reserve, and faculty member at Columbia University. Mr. Hassett served as a senior advisor on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and an economic advisor on the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and John McCain, respectively. Mr. Hassett received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Alan J. Auerbach. Matthew G. Whitaker was acting Attorney General of the United States (2018-2019). Before becoming acting Attorney General, Mr. Whitaker served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. He was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by President George W. Bush, serving from 2004-2009. Whitaker was the managing partner of Des Moines-based law firm Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP from 2009 until rejoining DOJ in 2017. He was also the Executive Director for FACT, The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust, an ethics and accountability watchdog, between 2014 and 2017. Mr. Whitaker is the Author of the book--Above the Law, The Inside Story of How the Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump. Buy Matt’s book here: https://amzn.to/3IXUOb8 Mr. Whitaker graduated with a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa. While at Iowa, Mr. Whitaker was a three-year letterman on the football team, where he received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Mr. Whitaker is now a Senior Fellow with the American Cornerstone Institute, Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice at America First Policy Institute, and a Senior Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation. Matt is on the Board of Directors for America First Legal Foundation. He is also Of Counsel with the Graves Garrett law firm. Whitaker regularly discusses legal and political issues on Fox News, Newsmax, and other news outlets.