Monaco in the Crosshairs: National Security, the Revolving Door, and the Politics of Corporate Appointments

A career in government service: a trajectory through the national security complex

Monaco’s résumé reads like a tour through the highest echelons of national security and law enforcement. Born in Boston on February 25, 1968, she earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1990 and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1997, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Law School Roundtable. Her early career included research roles and service coordinating research for the Senate Judiciary Committee under then-Chairman Joe Biden, contributing to the Violence Against Women Act.

Her government service began with a clerkship for Judge Jane Richards Roth on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, followed by counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno from 1998 to 2001. Monaco spent 15 years at the Department of Justice, including roles as a federal prosecutor and senior management positions, notably as chief of staff to FBI Director Robert Mueller after the September 11 attacks.

First woman in critical roles: leadership in national security and homeland security

Under President Obama, Monaco broke new ground as assistant attorney general for the National Security Division from 2011 to 2013 — the first woman to hold that position. She then moved to the White House as assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism from 2013 to 2017, where she coordinated the federal response to cybersecurity threats, terrorism, and other national security challenges.

Key role in Trump investigations: shaping the DOJ response to extraordinary times

In the Biden administration, Monaco served as deputy attorney general from 2021 to early 2025, becoming a central figure in several high-profile investigations involving former President Trump. She helped coordinate the DOJ’s response to the Jan. 6 attacks and publicly discussed the investigation into the Trump fake electors plot in January 2022. Monaco also participated in the Election Threats Task Force, established to combat threats against election workers, meeting regularly with senior officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Her oversight extended to the special counsel investigations led by Jack Smith, which centered on classified documents and potential attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Monaco emphasized that while she oversaw these politically sensitive cases, decisions were made independently of political influence.

Corporate transition and Trump’s response: the politics of post-government leadership

Between stints in government, Monaco served as a CNN national security analyst and later joined the international law firm O’Melveny & Myers as a partner, where she co-chaired the firm’s data security and privacy group. In the private sector, she advised high-profile clients including Exxon Mobil and Apple and also taught at NYU Law School.

Trump’s objections to Monaco’s role at Microsoft center on her access to what he calls “Highly Sensitive Information,” given the company’s extensive government contracts. Microsoft’s relationships with the federal government extend to agreements with the General Services Administration that could yield substantial cloud savings—an estimated $3.1 billion over one year.

The controversy began after Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo highlighted Monaco’s Microsoft appointment, suggesting Trump may have only recently learned of her corporate role. In his Truth Social post, Trump urged Microsoft to terminate Monaco and claimed she had been stripped of security clearances and banned from federal properties—actions that appear connected to his broader revocation of clearances for former Biden officials. The timing also coincided with the Justice Department’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, adding to the melodrama surrounding Monaco’s case.

Takeaways: governance, accountability, and the politics of expertise

• The Monaco episode underscores how the movement of senior government officials into major corporate roles becomes a flashpoint for partisan critique, especially when national security is invoked as a reason to challenge their fitness for private-sector leadership.
• It also highlights the complexity of ensuring accountability and transparency in post-government career paths, particularly when public officials oversee investigations into political figures who later enter the private sector.
• For reform-minded observers, the case amplifies the call for clear ethics guidelines around the revolving door, and for robust, nonpartisan handling of sensitive information in both government and corporate settings.

As a center-left commentator who values pragmatic governance, I view Monaco’s career as a testament to the unique expertise public service affords—and a reminder that the integrity of our institutions rests on transparent rules, credible oversight, and the deliberate separation of political theater from the sober, ongoing work of national security and justice.