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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2008-01-01 |
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| Name | Christine Anne Varney |
| Address |
Washington, District of Columbia , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
December 17, 1955
(68 years)
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| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Modifed | Scott³
Apr 03, 2009 01:08pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | Varney was the oldest of six children who grew up in Syracuse, N.Y. Her father was a lawyer for Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, and Varney was interested in politics as a young child. She graduated from SUNY-Albany and then went to Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs for a master’s in public affairs.
She moved to Washington after graduating from Syracuse in 1978 and earned a law degree from Georgetown while working. She worked as a lawyer for Hogan & Hartson in Washington and volunteered at the Democratic National Committee. She joined the DNC full time as chief counsel in 1989.
She stayed there until then-Gov. Bill Clinton (D-Ark.) hired her to be chief counsel for his 1992 presidential campaign. After he won, Clinton kept Varney on his staff, first as chief counsel for the Presidential Inaugural Committee and later as Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Cabinet.
In Oct. 1994, Clinton nominated his longtime assistant to serve on the Federal Trade Commission. "I would not trade my White House experience for anything," Varney said. "It was exciting, it was demanding, it was challenging, it was absolutely the center of power. On the other hand, you have very little time to be reflective, and very little time to be with your family." During her confirmation hearing, which lasted just 18 minutes, Varney said her priorities at the FTC would be antitrust issues and telemarketing. But her most famous decision dealt with the use of Joe Camel to advertise cigarettes, and many of her other high-profile decisions focused on regulation on the internet.
After three years, Varney left government to start an internet law practice at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., saying, “I have been in public service for five years. It’s time for me to move on.” She said she saw the opportunity to become a partner specializing in internet law as a chance to develop a rapidly changing area of law. But she didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to public service.
After Barack Obama was elected president in Nov. 2008, he appointed Varney to his transition team with the title personal counsel. She was called his chief vetter by the Times of London, and speculation arose that she would be Obama’s cabinet secretary, the same position she held in the Clinton White House. That position ultimately went to Chris Lu.
But Varney was rewarded in January with an appointment as Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust. "Through her time both inside and outside of government, she has worked to foster vigorous competition and has led the way in taking new approaches and utilizing newer theories, particularly in technology markets," the Obama transition team press release announcing her appointment said.
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