Attorney General William Barr has named Will Levi, whose grandfather, Edward Levi, pushed through post-Watergate reforms in the Justice Department as attorney general under President Gerald Ford, as his new chief of staff, Politico reports. Levi has spent two years as one of Barr’s seven counselors, and assisted Barr on efforts to revise domestic spying powers, and also has worked on other national security, criminal and civil matters. The appointment comes at a critical moment for the Justice Department, which is facing questions about its independence from the White House under Barr. Levi will replace Brian Rabbitt, who is taking a senior role in the criminal division.
Levi’s father, David Levi, a U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of California under President Ronald Reagan, briefly worked with Barr during Barr’s first stint as a senior DOJ official. Edward Levi’s name resurfaced recently when Donald Ayer, the former deputy attorney general for President George H.W. Bush, called on Barr to resign after his move in the Roger Stone sentencing case, comparing him unfavorably to Levi.