A top lawyer at the new Department of Government Efficiency headed up by Elon Musk has announced he is leaving, just days after Vivek Ramaswamy’s departure.
Bill McGinley, a partner at law firm Holtzman Vogel and served as cabinet secretary during Trump’s first term, was appointed as DOGE’s legal counsel by the president in December.
He announced his departure on Thursday. “I am in discussions regarding a number of private sector opportunities and will have something to announce in the next couple of weeks,” McGinley said, per the Wall Street Journal.
“I support President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the great teams in the White House and across the administration 100 percent.”
It comes after biotech entrepreneur Ramaswamy stepped down, ostensibly to pursue a campaign to be Ohio’s next governor.
However the Washington Post reported that “deep philosophical differences” over how the advisory board of DOGE – which is intended to slash federal spending by trillions – should function, had led to a rift between the two men.
In November, Ramaswamy wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal explaining how DOGE would dismantle the administrative state using current laws and Supreme Court precedents. This includes reducing the federal workforce, stripping agency regulations via executive orders and re-examining the budgeting process within each agency to reduce costs.
According to those familiar with the matter, this approach stood in contrast to Musk’s, which reportedly focused on technology and data mining to achieve DOGE’s aim to cut federal spending.
The department was originally meant to serve as an external advisory panel. However, after taking office Trump signed an executive order confirming that DOGE will function within the executive branch, and replacing the U.S. Digital Service.
McGinley was originally tapped to be White House counsel, the most senior legal adviser to the president, though his position as DOGE counsel was announced a short while later.
