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George Conway Is A Conservative & Experienced Lawyer

by Alex Gladu
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

It seems one Conway may not be enough for the Trump administration. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump may pick the husband of his high-profile adviser Kellyanne Conway to lead part of the Justice Department. Although Kellyanne has spent plenty of time in Trump's spotlight, her husband has not. That begs several questions about his experience and ideology, including whether or not George Conway is a conservative in the first place.

According to various reports, Trump is expected to nominate Conway to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Division. The division represents the U.S. government in "defensive and affirmative litigation," according to its website. Such litigation can include defending the federal government in civil lawsuits and suing on behalf of the federal government for loan defaults, fraud, and the misuse of federal funds. If the lawsuits already filed against Trump's executive orders are any indication, then this department — and its leader — could stay busy over the next four years.

Given that the Civil Division has to defend the administration's actions in court, it would make sense that Conway, as an expected nominee, must support the president's policies. Not to mention, Conway's wife managed Trump's presidential campaign and now serves as counselor to the president.

As it turns out, a few other details also point to the notion that Conway is a conservative. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Conway currently works as a partner in the litigation department of a law firm called Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. According to his bio on the firm's website, Conway has argued once before the Supreme Court. This legal experience could serve him well in a leadership role at the Justice Department, but the finer points of his legal career could reveal his preferred ideologies.

For one thing, the conservative-leaning Federalist Society lists Conway as an expert on its website. Although the expert status does not prove Conway is an official member of the society, according to the website, "the people listed as experts have spoken or otherwise participated" in the society's activities.

For another thing, Conway reportedly worked against former President Bill Clinton. As Bloomberg reported last year, Conway "was behind some of the most bitter lawsuits against Bill Clinton in the 1990s." Finally, Conway has reportedly donated to several conservative politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz's Republican primary campaign, according to Heavy.com.

Trump hadn't announced Conway's nomination as of Sunday afternoon, but a conservative, Yale-trained lawyer would make a logical choice for the president who has already seen his policies fall to court cases.