For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 16, 2001

President Bush to Nominate Taft as Legal Advisor to the Secretary of State

The President today announced his intention to nominate William Howard Taft, IV to be Legal Advisor to the Secretary of State. He is currently a partner with the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in Washington, D.C. Taft has served in a variety of positions within the federal government including U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO from 1989 to 1992, and Deputy Secretary of Defense and General Counsel of the Department of Defense during the Reagan administration. He is a graduate of Yale University and received his law degree from Harvard University.

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