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Donald K. Sherman

Occupation:

Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Residence:

Washington D.C.

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Donald K. Sherman is the senior vice president and chief counsel for legal advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Prior to joining CREW, Sherman served in a number of positions within the White House, the U.S House of Representatives, and the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 1

Background

Donald Sherman graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a B.A. degree in American Studies, while also receiving a J.D from Georgetown University Law Center afterwards. 2 Before working on Capitol Hill, Sherman practiced at the D.C office of law firm Crowell & Moring, LLP, while then serving as law clerk to the Honorable Neil E. Kravitz of the District of Columbia Superior Court. He initially worked as counsel for the House Ethics Committee, where he took a focus on investigating, “alleged ethical violations by Members of Congress and staff. 3 Between 2011 and 2015 served within the staff of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, then-Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform including the position as Chief Oversight Counsel. 4 5 After his time working on the House, he served as the Chief of Staff as well as Senior Counsel for Oversight and Investigations in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He later served in the U.S Senate as Senior Counsel to then-Ranking Member Claire McCaskill on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 6 In 2021, it was announced that he would be joining the White House staff to serve as Special Assistant to the President for Racial and Economic Justice. 7

CREW

Donald Sherman previously served as deputy director of legal advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). As of June 2023, he serves as the senior vice president and chief counsel of the organization. 8

In July 2022, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) called for Department of Homeland Security Inspector General and Trump appointee Joseph Cuffari to step down from his position over claims that he had known about the dealation of text messages from agents’ phones around the time of the January 6th riot at the U.S Capitol Building several months earlier than he had admitted during congressional briefings.9 According to the inspector general’s office, Cuffari had been aware of the deleted text messages by December 2021, which was roughly two months earlier than he had admitted in February 2022. At the time, in July 2022, CREW had asked for the Justice Department and the FBI to open a criminal investigation into the deleted text messages, with Sherman admitting in a statement, “The Federal Records Act requires that agencies like the Secret Service preserve records so that there is a complete and accurate history of the government’s actions and decisions.” 10

In November 2022, CREW had asked for the resignation of former U.S Capitol Architect and Trump apointee J. Brett Blanton after an Inspector General report found that Blanton had, “violated every pillar the OIG operates under including theft, fraud, waste, and abuse against not only the AOC but also the taxpayer.” 11
In a statement released, Sherman claimed that the report, “warrant[s] the Architect of the Capitol’s removal from his position…[and] demonstrate[s] [Blanton’s] unfitness to serve and to meet the challenges facing that office given the reality of these threats.” 12 Blanton would be fired from his position by the Biden Administration in February 2023. 13 14

In January 2023, Sherman was interviewed by the Washingtonian, where he explained CREW’s focus on advocating that former president Donald Trump and others who, “participated in various ways in the January 6 attack on the Capitol are legally ineligible for elected office.” 15 According to Sherman, CREW would be taking their argument to the courts and invoking Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which they interpret that one cannot be allowed to run for office if they have, “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” 16 However, Sherman admitted that, “nobody gets into government ethics if they aren’t prepared for some disappointment.” 17

References

  1. “Our Team.” CREW, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.citizensforethics.org/about/our-team/
  2. “Donald K. Sherman.” Georgetown Law, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/donald-k-sherman/
  3. “Our Team.” CREW, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.citizensforethics.org/about/our-team/
  4. “Our Team.” CREW, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.citizensforethics.org/about/our-team/
  5. “Donald K. Sherman.” Georgetown Law, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/donald-k-sherman/
  6. “Donald K. Sherman.” Georgetown Law, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/donald-k-sherman/
  7. “White House Announces Additional Policy Staff.” The White House, March 5, 2021. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/05/white-house-announces-additional-policy-staff/
  8. “Our Team.” CREW, Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.citizensforethics.org/about/our-team/
  9. Leonnig, Carol D. and Maria Sacchetti. “Key Dems want DHS inspector general removed from Secret Service probe.” The Washington Post, July 26, 2022. https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/us/key-dems-want-dhs-inspector-general-removed-from-secret-service-probe/ar-AA100enP
  10. Leonnig, Carol D. and Maria Sacchetti. “Key Dems want DHS inspector general removed from Secret Service probe.” The Washington Post, July 26, 2022. https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/us/key-dems-want-dhs-inspector-general-removed-from-secret-service-probe/ar-AA100enP
  11. Mullins, Luke. “Watchdog Group Calls for Removal of Architect of the Capitol.” The Washingtonian, November 2, 2022. https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/11/02/watchdog-group-calls-for-removal-of-architect-of-the-capitol/
  12. Mullins, Luke. “Watchdog Group Calls for Removal of Architect of the Capitol.” The Washingtonian, November 2, 2022. https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/11/02/watchdog-group-calls-for-removal-of-architect-of-the-capitol/
  13. Mullins, Luke. “Watchdog Group Calls for Removal of Architect of the Capitol.” The Washingtonian, November 2, 2022. https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/11/02/watchdog-group-calls-for-removal-of-architect-of-the-capitol/
  14. Jones, Dustin. “Biden fires the architect of the Capitol after bipartisan criticism from lawmakers.” NPR, February 13, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/02/13/1156610999/biden-fired-capitol-architect-ethical-violations-misusing-government-property
  15. Beaujon, Andrew. “Can a DC Watchdog Group Keep Trump From Running?” The Washingtonian, January 4, 2023. https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/01/04/dc-watchdog-group-crew-trump/
  16. Beaujon, Andrew. “Can a DC Watchdog Group Keep Trump From Running?” The Washingtonian, January 4, 2023. https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/01/04/dc-watchdog-group-crew-trump/
  17. Beaujon, Andrew. “Can a DC Watchdog Group Keep Trump From Running?” The Washingtonian, January 4, 2023. https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/01/04/dc-watchdog-group-crew-trump/
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