Dan Scavino

American political adviser

Dan Scavino
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications
In office
April 21, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byStephanie Grisham (White House Communications Director)
Succeeded byKate Bedingfield (White House Communications Director)
White House Director of Social Media
In office
January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRob Flaherty (Digital Strategy)
Personal details
Born
Daniel Scavino Jr.

New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Jennifer Scavino
(m. 2000; div. 2018)
Children2
EducationState University of New York, Plattsburgh (BA)

Daniel Scavino Jr. is an American political adviser who served in the Trump administration as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications from 2020 to 2021, and Director of Social Media from 2017 to 2021.[1][2] Scavino previously was the general manager of Trump National Golf Club Westchester, and the director of social media for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign.[3]

Early life and education

Scavino was born in New York and is of Italian descent.[4] He was raised in the New York City area.[5][6] In 1992, Scavino was selected as a caddie for Trump's golf party at Briar Hall Country Club (later renamed Trump National Golf Club Westchester). He graduated from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.[citation needed]

Career

Scavino worked for a few years at Coca-Cola in the sales department and as a pharmaceutical rep at Galderma, before becoming assistant manager in 2004 and then general manager in 2008 of Trump National Golf Club Westchester.[7][8][9][10]

Trump presidential campaign

Scavino was involved with Donald Trump's presidential campaign since it began in June 2015. In February 2016, Trump appointed Scavino as the campaign's director of social media. Over the July 4, 2016 weekend, controversy arose when Trump's Twitter account posted an image selected by Scavino of Hillary Clinton with a text in the shape of a Star of David calling her the "Most Corrupt Candidate Ever." The image had originally appeared on an anti-Semitic, white supremacist message board. Trump's team defended its use saying that the star was a "sheriff's badge", before eventually deleting it and posting a new picture with a circle replacing the star.[7]

White House

Donald Trump, Scavino (second from left), Ivanka Trump, and World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab meet in Davos, Switzerland in 2020

On December 22, 2016, Scavino was named White House Director of Social Media under President Donald Trump.[11]

In April 2017, ethics attorney Richard Painter accused Scavino of violating the Hatch Act of 1939 (which bars executive branch employees from engaging in electoral activities) after Scavino, from his personal Twitter account had called for defeating Congressman Justin Amash.[12] The United States Office of Special Counsel then informed Scavino that his tweet had indeed violated the Hatch Act and warned future violations "could result in further action."[13] In May 2019, Politico reported that Scavino frequented the r/The_Donald subreddit.[14]

On June 18, 2019, USA Today released an article stating that Scavino was the writer of several of Trump's tweets, most likely those sent between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and those without spelling mistakes.[15] Scavino claimed that "Trump does his own tweets."[16]

Scavino was the longest-serving aide in the Trump Administration. He remained as Director of Social Media until the end of Trump's term as president.[17]

In December 2020, after Trump lost the election, standing in a hallway near the Blue Room of the White House, Scavino told Jenna Ellis that Trump would refuse to leave office, as Ellis told Georgia prosecutors nearly three years later when she pleaded guilty in the Georgia election racketeering prosecution. Ellis recalled: "And he said to me, you know, in a kind of excited tone, ‘Well, we don’t care, and we’re not going to leave.'"[18] "The boss is not going to leave under any circumstances. We are just going to stay in power."[19]

On September 24, 2021, the U.S. House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack subpoenaed Scavino for records and testimony.[20] Represented by lawyer Stanley Woodward,[21] he claimed executive privilege and evaded investigators.[22][23][24] On April 6, 2022, the House voted to hold Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt for refusing to testify before the committee.[25] However, the Justice Department said it would not prosecute Scavino.[26] In 2023, a federal judge said Scavino must comply with a grand jury subpoena from Jack Smith's investigation, after which Scavino spoke to investigators from Smith's team.[27]

Personal life

Daniel and Jennifer Scavino were married in 2000; they have two children. His wife filed for divorce in January 2018.[28]

References

  1. ^ Schutzman, Nina (December 22, 2016). "Trump names Dan Scavino White House social media director". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Haberman, Maggie (April 21, 2020). "Dan Scavino Promoted as Meadows Shuffles White House Communications Team". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Restuccia, Rew; Lippman, Daniel; Johnson, Eliana (May 16, 2019). "'Get Scavino in here': Trump's Twitter guru is the ultimate insider". POLITICO. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Mendelsohn, Jennifer (January 18, 2018). "How Would Trump's Immigration Crackdown Have Affected His Own Team?". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Daniel Scavino Jr. turns from caddie into White House social media director". We the Italians. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Panetta, Grace; Ralph, Pat; Kranz, Michal (May 20, 2019). "Trump's social media director Dan Scavino is the staffer who's been around the longest —and he started as Trump's caddie". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Moody, Chris (July 5, 2016). "How a golf caddie became Trump's campaign confidant". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Panetta, Michal Kranz, Pat Ralph, Grace. "Trump's social media director Dan Scavino is the staffer who's been around the longest —and he started as Trump's caddie". Business Insider.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Draper, Robert (April 16, 2018). "The Man Behind the President's Tweets". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  10. ^ "Dan Scavino: 5 things to know about local Trump staffer who has served through term". Poughkeepsie Journal.
  11. ^ Byers, Dylan (December 22, 2016). "Trump picks Sean Spicer as White House press secretary, Jason Miller as communications director". CNN Money. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  12. ^ Samuelsohn, Darren (April 1, 2017). "Trump aide accused of Hatch Act violation after urging Amash primary challenge". Politico. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  13. ^ Gold, Matea (June 9, 2017). "White House social-media director Dan Scavino violated Hatch Act with tweet targeting GOP congressman". Retrieved February 22, 2018 – via washingtonpost.com.
  14. ^ Restuccia, Andrew; Lippman, Daniel; Johnson, Eliana (May 16, 2019). "'Get Scavino in here': Trump's Twitter guru is the ultimate insider". POLITICO. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  15. ^ Chute, Nate (June 18, 2019). "He writes Trump's tweets and has been with Trump's campaign since day one". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Grayer, Annie; Wild, Whitney (January 2, 2023). "'This made us all unemployable': Trump White House aides respond to January 6 in angry text exchange". CNN Politics. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Draper, Robert (April 16, 2018). "The Man Behind the President's Tweets". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  18. ^ Gardner, Amy; Bailey, Holly (November 14, 2023). "Ex-Trump allies detail efforts to overturn election in Georgia plea videos". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Rubin, Olivia; Steakin, Will. "'The boss is not going to leave': Proffer videos show ex-Trump lawyers telling Georgia prosecutors about efforts to overturn 2020 election". ABC News. Retrieved November 15, 2023. And he said 'Well, the boss', meaning President Trump -- and everyone understood 'the boss,' that's what we all called him -- he said, 'The boss is not going to leave under any circumstances. We are just going to stay in power.'"
  20. ^ Jalonick, Mary Clare; Tucker, Eric (September 24, 2021). "House Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump advisers, associates". AP NEWS.
  21. ^ Tillman, Zoe (January 21, 2022). "Trump Aide Dan Scavino Was Revealed To Be The Person Trying To Anonymously Fight A Jan. 6 Subpoena". BuzzFeed News.
  22. ^ Al-Arshani, Sarah (October 6, 2021). "A former Trump aide was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the January 6 riot more than a week ago. Investigators still haven't found him". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Garcia, Catherine (October 6, 2021). "Report: House Jan. 6 select committee can't track down former Trump aide to serve subpoena". The Week. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
  24. ^ Lowell, Hugo (October 6, 2021). "Top Trump aides set to defy subpoenas in Capitol attack investigation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
  25. ^ House votes to hold former Trump aides Peter Navarro, Scavino in contempt of Congress for defying Jan. 6 committee subpoenas, Washington Post. Jacqueline Alemany, Felicia Sonmez, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey, April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Perez, Evan; Nobles, Ryan; Borger, Gloria (June 4, 2022). "DOJ declines to charge Meadows and Scavino with contempt of Congress". CNN Politics. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  27. ^ Faulders, Katherine; Levine, Mike; Mallin, Alexander; Steakin, Will (January 7, 2024). "Special counsel probe uncovers new details about Trump's inaction on Jan. 6: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Ali, Yashar (March 18, 2018). "Wife Of Top Trump Aide Dan Scavino Files For Divorce". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018.

External links

Political offices
Preceded byas White House Communications Director White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications
2020–2021
Succeeded byas White House Communications Director
  • v
  • t
  • e
Office Name Term Office Name Term
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus 2017 National Security Advisor Michael Flynn 2017
John F. Kelly 2017–19 H. R. McMaster 2017–18
Mick Mulvaney 2019–20 John Bolton 2018–19
Mark Meadows 2020–21 Robert C. O'Brien 2019–21
Principal Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh 2017 Deputy National Security Advisor K. T. McFarland 2017
Kirstjen Nielsen 2017 Ricky L. Waddell 2017–18
James W. Carroll 2017–18 Mira Ricardel 2018
Zachary Fuentes 2018–19 Charles Kupperman 2019
Emma Doyle 2019–20 Matthew Pottinger 2019–21
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Rick Dearborn 2017–18 Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert 2017–18
Chris Liddell 2018–21 Doug Fears 2018–19
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Joe Hagin 2017–18 Peter J. Brown 2019–20
Daniel Walsh 2018–19 Julia Nesheiwat 2020–21
Anthony M. Ornato 2019–21 Dep. Natl. Security Advisor, Strategy Dina Powell 2017–18
Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine 2018–19 Nadia Schadlow 2018
Dan Scavino 2020–21 Dep. Natl. Security Advisor, Middle East and North African Affairs Victoria Coates 2019–20
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway 2017–20 White House Communications Director Sean Spicer 2017
Steve Bannon 2017 Michael Dubke 2017
Johnny DeStefano 2018–19 Anthony Scaramucci 2017
Hope Hicks 2020–21 Hope Hicks 2017–18
Derek Lyons 2020–21 Bill Shine 2018–19
Senior Advisor, Strategic Planning Jared Kushner 2017–21 Stephanie Grisham 2019–20
Senior Advisor, Policy Stephen Miller 2017–21 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer 2017
Senior Advisor, Economic Issues Kevin Hassett 2020 Sarah Huckabee Sanders 2017–19
Advisor Ivanka Trump 2017–21 Stephanie Grisham 2019–20
Director, Public Liaison George Sifakis 2017 Kayleigh McEnany 2020–21
Johnny DeStefano 2017–18 Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders 2017
Justin R. Clark 2018 Raj Shah 2017–19
Steve Munisteri 2018–19 Hogan Gidley 2019–20
Timothy Pataki 2019–21 Brian R. Morgenstern 2020–21
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs Justin R. Clark 2017–18 Director, Strategic Communications Hope Hicks 2017
Douglas Hoelscher 2019–21 Mercedes Schlapp 2017–19
Director, National Economic Council Gary Cohn 2017–18 Alyssa Farah 2020
Larry Kudlow 2018–21 Director, Social Media Dan Scavino 2017–19
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers Kevin Hassett 2017–19 Director, Legislative Affairs Marc Short 2017–18
Tomas J. Philipson 2019–20 Shahira Knight 2018–19
Tyler Goodspeed 2020–21 Eric Ueland 2019–20
Chair, Domestic Policy Council Andrew Bremberg 2017–19 Amy Swonger 2020–21
Joe Grogan 2019–20 Director, Political Affairs Bill Stepien 2017–18
Brooke Rollins 2020–21 Brian Jack 2019–21
Director, National Trade Council Peter Navarro 2017–21 Director, Presidential Personnel Johnny DeStefano 2017–18
White House Counsel Don McGahn 2017–18 Sean E. Doocey 2018–20
Emmet Flood 2018 John McEntee 2020–21
Pat Cipollone 2018–21 Director, Management & Administration Marcia L. Kelly 2017–18
White House Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley 2017–19 Monica J. Block 2018–21
Matthew J. Flynn 2019 White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter 2017–18
Kristan King Nevins 2019–21 Derek Lyons 2018–21
Personal Aide to the President John McEntee 2017–18 Director, Science & Technology Policy Kelvin Droegemeier 2019–21
Jordan Karem 2018 Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios 2019–21
Nicholas Luna 2018–19 Director, Management & Budget Mick Mulvaney 2017–19
Director, Oval Office Operations Keith Schiller 2017 Russell Vought 2019–21
Jordan Karem 2017–19 Chief Information Officer Suzette Kent 2018–20
Madeleine Westerhout 2019 United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer 2017–21
Nicholas Luna 2019–21 Director, National Drug Control Policy James W. Carroll 2018–21
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Lindsay Reynolds 2017–20 Chair, Council on Environmental Quality Mary Neumayr 2018–21
Stephanie Grisham 2020–21 Chief of Staff to the Vice President Josh Pitcock 2017
White House Social Secretary Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd 2017–21 Nick Ayers 2017–19
White House Chief Usher Angella Reid 2017 Marc Short 2019–21
Timothy Harleth 2017–21 Special Representative, International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz 2019–21
Physician to the President Ronny Jackson 2017–18 COVID-19 Medical Advisors Deborah Birx 2020–21
Sean Conley 2018–21 Anthony Fauci 2020–21
Director, White House Military Office Keith Davids 2017–21 Scott Atlas 2020–21
† Remained from previous administration.