Trump picks longtime aide Will Scharf as new top White House lawyer
Politics — 2026-08-09 18:19:00 — www.washingtonpost.com
President Donald Trump Announces New White House Counsel, Cites Private Sector Move
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Will Scharf will become the next top White House lawyer, replacing David Warrington. Trump wrote in a social media post that Warrington is “going on to the Private Sector.” The transition in the office of White House counsel is set to take place on September 1.
Trump’s statement, delivered directly via his social media account, attributes Warrington’s departure to a move into private industry. No additional context or explanation was provided by Trump regarding the reasons for the change or the selection of Scharf as the new counsel.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claim
In this announcement, Trump’s claim that David Warrington is “going on to the Private Sector” is presented as the sole reason for the change. As of the time of Trump’s statement, there is no evidence in the excerpt to contradict this explanation or to suggest any controversy regarding the transition. However, Trump’s history of personnel announcements has sometimes included misleading or incomplete information about the circumstances of departures or appointments. In this case, the excerpt provides no further details to fact-check beyond Trump’s stated rationale.
Conclusion
President Trump’s announcement of Will Scharf as the incoming White House counsel, with David Warrington leaving for the private sector, is the latest in a series of high-profile personnel changes during his administration. While Trump attributes the move to Warrington’s decision to enter private industry, the excerpt does not provide additional context or evidence of false claims or disparagements related to this transition. Readers should note that Trump’s public statements on staff changes have, in the past, sometimes omitted key details, but based solely on the information provided, his claim stands unchallenged in this instance.