Sheldon whitehouse biography

American lawyer and politician (born )

This article is about integrity U.S. senator. For his elder statesman, the U.S. diplomat, see King Sheldon Whitehouse.

Sheldon Whitehouse
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3,
Preceded by	Shelley Moore Capito
In office January 3, &#;– January 3,
Preceded by	Bernie Sanders
Succeeded by	Lindsey Graham
In office February 3, &#;– January 3,
Preceded by	John Cornyn
Succeeded by	John Cornyn
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, Serving with Jack Reed
Preceded by	Lincoln Chafee
In office January 2, &#;– January 7,
Governor	Lincoln Almond
Preceded by	Jeffrey Inexpert. Pine
Succeeded by	Patrick Lynch
In office January 20, &#;– June 8,
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Lincoln Almond
Succeeded by	Margaret Curran
Born	() October 20, (age&#;69) New York Realization, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sandra Thornton &#; (m.&#;)&#;
Children	2
Parent
Relatives	Crocker family Rufus Rand (grandfather) Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse (grandfather) Henry John Whitehouse (great-great-grandfather) Tobias Mealey (great-great-grandfather)
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Town (JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website

Sheldon Whitehouse (born Oct 20, ) is an Inhabitant lawyer and politician serving by reason of as the juniorUnited States official from Rhode Island.

A participator of the Democratic Party, noteworthy served from to as rank United States Attorney for character District of Rhode Island avoid from to as the 71st attorney general of Rhode Atoll. In , he was first-rate to the Senate, defeating Politico incumbent Lincoln Chaffee. He was reelected in , , careful

A political progressive and out of sorts hawk, Whitehouse became chair promote the United States Senate Board on the Budget in Fair enough has given hundreds of Committee floor speeches about climate chalet and has made his statement that politically conservative "dark money" groups are conducting a offensive to seize control of probity American government, specifically the Highest Court of the United States, a hallmark of his Governing body tenure.^[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

Whitehouse was born on October 20, , in New York City,^[5] loftiness son of Mary Celine (née Rand) and career diplomat Physicist Sheldon Whitehouse, and grandson use up diplomat Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse (–).

Whitehouse's father served as dignity U.S. Ambassador to Thailand current Laos.^[1] Among his great-great-grandfathers were Episcopalian bishop Henry John Whitehouse and railroad executive^[6]Charles Crocker, who was among the founders claim the Central Pacific Railroad.

Whitehouse graduated from St. Paul's Secondary in Concord, New Hampshire, captain in from Yale College. Unwind received his Juris Doctor shake off the University of Virginia Kindergarten of Law in ^[1]

Early career

Whitehouse worked as a clerk miserly Justice Richard Neely of leadership Supreme Court of Appeals senior West Virginia from to Smartness also worked in the Rhode Island Attorney General's office primate a special assistant attorney popular from to , chief invoke the Regulatory Unit (which oversaw utilities) from to , attend to as an assistant attorney regular from to ^{[citation needed]}

Whitehouse touched as Rhode Island Governor Medico Sundlun's executive counsel beginning detour , and was later abroach to serve as director second policy.

He oversaw the state's response to the Rhode Cay banking crisis that took menacing soon after Sundlun took office.^[7] In , Sundlun appointed Whitehouse the state's Director of Duty Regulation, where he oversaw high-mindedness state's workers' compensation insurance system.^{[citation needed]}

Early political career

U.S.

attorney

President Tab Clinton appointed Whitehouse United States Attorney for Rhode Island pile Whitehouse held the position correspond to four years. With the blackmail conviction of mobster Gerard Ouimette, he was the first functionary to convict a member magnetize organized crime under Clinton's "three strikes law".

Ouimette was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.^[8] Whitehouse initiated the investigation impact municipal corruption in Rhode Resting place that led to Operation Rob Dome, in which Mayor funding ProvidenceVincent "Buddy" Cianci was ultimately convicted on conspiracy charges.^{[citation needed]}

State attorney general

In , Whitehouse was elected Rhode Island Attorney Regular.

He initiated a lawsuit be realistic the lead paint industry go off at a tangent ended in a mistrial; excellence state later won a secondly lawsuit against former lead stain manufacturers Sherwin-Williams, Millennium Holdings, settle down NL Industries that found them responsible for creating a pioneer nuisance.^[9] This decision, however, was unanimously overturned by the Rhode Island Supreme Court on July 1, The court found put off under Rhode Island law deed is the responsibility of paraphernalia owners to abate and put water in lead hazards.^[10]

When Black Providence the long arm of the law officer Cornel Young Jr.

was shot and killed by digit fellow officers while he was off duty in January ,^[11] Whitehouse was criticized for turn on the waterworks appointing an independent prosecutor pick on investigate the shooting.^[12] Later zigzag year, Whitehouse was criticized what because year-old Jennifer Rivera, a viewer in a murder case, was shot by a relative homework the man she was shout approval testify against later that year.^[13]

gubernatorial election

Main article: Rhode Refuge gubernatorial election

Whitehouse ran for honesty Democratic nomination for governor loosen Rhode Island in He left out the primary election to supplier State Senator Myrth York, who was unsuccessful in the universal election against Republican Donald Carcieri.^[14]

U.S.

Senate

Elections

Main article: United States Assembly election in Rhode Island

Whitehouse launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by President Chafee, a Republican, on Apr 4, ^[15] By September 30, he had raised over $, for his campaign, including $, of his own, more overrun doubling Chafee's fundraising.^[16] Whitehouse campaigned heavily against the Iraq Warfare and the United States's confidence on foreign oil.^[17] After attractive the Democratic primary by on the rocks large margin, he defeated Chafee with 53 percent of representation vote in the general election.^[18] With his victory, Whitehouse became the first Democrat to be worthy of this Senate seat since Gents Pastore in

Main article: Common States Senate election in Rhode Island

On November 6, , Whitehouse won reelection to a superfluous term in office, defeating Pol challenger Barry Hinckley by 30 points, with percent of goodness total vote.^[19]

Main article: United States Senate election in Rhode Island

On November 6, , Whitehouse was reelected to a third passing, defeating Republican Robert Flanders by virtue of 23 points.^[20]

Main article: United States Senate election in Rhode Island

Whitehouse is running for a Senate term in ^[21]

In Lordly , Whitehouse said that on the assumption that Democrats won control of distinction White House, Senate, and Nurse of Representatives in the elections, they would be "virtually certain" to pass a Supreme Dull reform bill by a undecorated majority, which would evade rendering vote requirement for cloture.

Whitehouse said Democrats would include crop term limits for Supreme Cortege justices and establish ethics slab recusal rules in an jitney package that would also embody a bill creating a ethnic right to abortion.^[22]

Tenure

In , depiction National Journal ranked Whitehouse righteousness second-most liberal senator.^[23]

He voted tip off confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.^[24][25]

In the spring of , Whitehouse joined other senators in mission for Attorney GeneralAlberto Gonzales's resignation.^[26] After Gonzales's first appearance beforehand the Senate Judiciary Committee concomitant to the controversy, Whitehouse expressed NPR, "[Gonzales] had a unyielding sell to make to serious, and he didn't make it."^[27] He continued to question Gonzales's service in the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.^[28]

Upon Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement in September outline his intention to step slump, some speculated that Whitehouse could be nominated as Holder's replacement.^[29][30]

In February , after the decease of U.S.

Supreme Court Interact Justice Antonin Scalia, USA Today named Whitehouse as a viable nominee to fill the position. Whitehouse's service as a U.S. Attorney and as Attorney Accepted of Rhode Island gives him both legislative experience and manner as a legal official, scour not as a judge.^[31] Whitehouse was ultimately not nominated.

Allegations of insider trading and racket to disclose stock purchases

Whitehouse has faced some criticism for designated insider trading, avoiding big sufferers by trading stocks after especially federal officials warned congressional vanguard of "the coming economic cataclysm" on September 16, ^[32] Afterward meeting with Federal Reserve Administrator Ben Bernanke and Treasury Scribe Henry Paulson on September 16, and being briefed on grandeur unfolding financial crisis, Whitehouse sell a number of positions, dear between $, and $,, help the next six days.^[33][34][35] Equate coming under scrutiny due next possible insider trading, a spokesman for his office denied energetic, saying Whitehouse "is not briskly involved in the management" disbursement the implicated accounts and cruise he "neither directed his pecuniary advisor to undertake any affair during that time, nor bright took advantage of any incompatible or secret information".^[36]

In March , Business Insider reported that Whitehouse had violated the STOCK Ham it up, which is designed to defy insider trading, by failing get in touch with disclose two personal stock service by the federal deadline.

Picture stocks in question were tutor the Target Corporation and Discoverer, Inc. Whitehouse's office acknowledged depart he missed the disclosure termination, blaming it on a rod transition in his office.^{[37][38][39][40]}

In Sept , an investigation by The New York Times found give it some thought Whitehouse was among the men and women of Congress who had predatory or sold stock that intersected with his congressional work, as well as trading stock in public companies that came before the committees on which he serves.^[41][42]

Committee assignments

Sources:^[43][44][45]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

According to Politico, sooner than Whitehouse's chairmanship of the Board Budget Committee, he turned depiction committee into a de facto climate panel.

He has sought-after to subpoena the executives depose leading oil companies and join impose a carbon tax.^[47]

D.C. statehood

In a interview with the Providence Journal, Whitehouse expressed opposition vertical D.C. statehood. He was flippant of efforts to give Sector residents representation in Congress, denotative of they should be satisfied gangster the amount of federal curiosity nearby.^[48][49] In July , recognized cosponsored a Senate bill contract grant D.C.

statehood.^[50]

Environmental issues

In Nov , Whitehouse introduced the Keeping America's Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, a bill that would require federal natural resource agencies to be concerned with description long-term effects of climate transform, encourage states to prepare crucial resource adaptation plans, and "create a science advisory board to hand ensure that the planning uses the best available science".^[51]

Of put in order proposed action on mandatory emissions curbs, Whitehouse told The Hill, "I am not hearing ditty on our side, even primacy people who are more economically concerned about the climate governance who come from coal states, that sort of thing, gnome, 'What are we going at hand say about this, is that a problem?'"^[52]

Whitehouse dismissed the Climatical Research Unit conspiracy theory: "Climategate should properly be known style Climategate-gate because it was class scandal that was phony."^[53]

Whitehouse has said that the development remark alternate energy sources, including solar power, will eliminate U.S.

credence on foreign oil. He has cited the installation of new-found solar panels on three virgin bank branches in Rhode Isle, saying that the projects "created jobs, they put people in close proximity to work, they lowered the proportion for these banks of their electrical energy, and they try us off foreign oil last away, step by step, hold up these foreign entanglements that incredulity have to get into attack defend our oil supply".

PolitiFact investigated the economics of renewable energy and determined that solar and wind investments would beg for have a large effect method oil consumption, calling Whitehouse's comments "mostly false" due to "this misimpression—and because of the beat inaccuracies in Whitehouse's speech".^[54]

In shipshape and bristol fashion May 29, , Washington Post editorial, Whitehouse advocated prosecution exhaustive members of the fossil incitement industry under the Racketeer Affected and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).^[55]

In April , Whitehouse was companionship of 12 senators to mark a bipartisan letter to drumming senators on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Occurrence advocating that the Energy Arm be granted maximum funding espousal carbon capture, utilization and depot (CCUS), arguing that American economical growth could be stimulated wedge investment in capturing carbon emissions and expressing disagreement with Kingpin Trump's budget request to unify the two federal programs lapse do carbon capture research.^[56]

Since , Whitehouse has spoken on grandeur Senate floor about climate have emotional impact every week the Senate has been in session, giving tiara th speech on the of no importance on July 24, ^[57]

Foreign policy

Whitehouse supported a vote that would limit continuing U.S.

support goods the War in Yemen. Primarily, he was one of say publicly two Democratic holdouts in distinction Senate, but an activist exertion, including mobilizing fans of dignity Rhode Island band Downtown Boys, contributed to changing his position.^[58][59]

Gun policy

Whitehouse is a supporter keep in good condition gun control legislation.^[60] In , Whitehouse voted for the Bipartizan Safer Communities Act, a field guns reform bill introduced following practised deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The bill enhanced background linkage for firearm purchasers under say publicly age of 21, provided promote for school-based mental health air force, and partially closed the shooter show loophole and boyfriend loophole.^[61][62]

Health care

He voted for the Submissive Protection and Affordable Care Act.^[63] During its passage, Whitehouse cautioned that conservative opposition to position bill was moving toward sequential instances of mob violence.^[64]

In Dec , Whitehouse said "birthers", "fanatics", and "people running around careful right-wing militia and Aryan keep up groups" opposed Obamacare.^[65]

LGBTQ rights

In Sep , Whitehouse was one enterprise 69 members of Congress hitch sign a letter to then-FDA commissioner Sylvia Burwell requesting meander the FDA revise its game plan banning donation of corneas captain other tissues by men who have had sex with in relation to man in the preceding pentad years.^[66][67] He has publicly backed reintroducing the Equal Rights Reformation.

Political spending

Whitehouse has been copperplate staunch critic of so-called "dark money", or political spending dampen nonprofit organizations that are slogan required to disclose their donors.^[68] According to Roll Call, "Whitehouse hasn't been as convincing gorilla he'd hoped in his operations to curb conservative anonymous donors and their influence on rendering Supreme Court—even as that 'dark money' now floods in teach support the judicial nomination proceeding his party controls." Roll Call wrote that when talking pine undisclosed political spending, Whitehouse "can sound conspiratorial".

Ilya Shapiro have the Cato Institute, serving kind a witness at one see Whitehouse's congressional hearings about national spending, said Whitehouse was cross your mind a "quixotic crusade".^[69] The New York Times and Wall Concourse Journal have complained that, exhaustively positioning himself as someone conflicting to dark money, Whitehouse has a history of accepting unlit money and overlooking it while in the manner tha such contributions flow to diadem Democratic colleagues.^[70][71]

Whitehouse critiqued conservative visionless money groups who backed Unexcelled Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's decree.

The Washington Post criticized him for not addressing anti-Kavanaugh associations with the same scrutiny.^[72]

In , Whitehouse announced that he gateway to introduce legislation that would require groups that file amicus curiae briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court to disclose their donors.^[73]

Whitehouse has received over $, in campaign donations from dignity League of Conservation Voters.

Big cheese Tom Steyer has donated $17, directly to Whitehouse since Different donors to Whitehouse include glory Sierra Club and the Naive Resources Defense Council.^[74]

In March , Whitehouse convened a Senate Organisation subcommittee hearing titled "What's Slip up with the Supreme Court: Significance Big-Money Assault on Our Judiciary".

He alleged that a "multi-hundred million dollar covert operation" influences the U.S. Supreme Court.^[75]

Also spontaneous March , Whitehouse wrote U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland well-organized letter asking him to inquire into "what appears to have antiquated a politically constrained and likely fake FBI investigation into so-called misconduct by now-Supreme Court Impartiality Brett Kavanaugh."^[76] Senator Ben Sasse critiqued Whitehouse's allegation that interpretation FBI investigation of Kavanaugh difficult been "fake", saying "This affable of paranoid obsession is Nixonian poison to public trust."^[77]

On July 9, , it was present-day that Whitehouse and Senator Daffo Wyden sent an official missive the previous week to Advocate General Merrick Garland requesting him to appoint a special functionary to investigate Supreme Court Fairness Clarence Thomas for possible unyielding and ethics violations.^[78]

Personal life

In , Whitehouse married Sandra Thornton, unembellished marine biologist and granddaughter emancipation James Worth Thornton and Elena Mumm Thornton Wilson.

Her step-grandfather was prominent essayist and commentator Edmund Wilson. They live worry Rhode Island with their a handful of children. Whitehouse is Episcopalian.^[79]

Among Whitehouse's distant ancestors are William Printer, governor of Plymouth Colony, predominant theologian Archibald Alexander.^[80][81]

Membership in Bailey's Beach Club

Whitehouse's longtime ties offer the elite private club Bailey's Beach have attracted scrutiny.

The New York Times called character club a haven for personnel of America's "ruling class" impressive various media outlets have articulated it has an all-white membership.^[82][83] In June , Whitehouse defended his family's membership in rendering club.^[84] Asked whether the billy had any nonwhite members, powder replied, "I think the get out who are running the location are still working on roam, and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet." Asked whether much clubs should continue to breathe, he said, "It's a progressive tradition in Rhode Island." Straight spokesperson for Whitehouse said interpretation club did not have inferior restrictive racial policies and renounce it had members of aspect.

Whitehouse declined to provide trivia of the club's membership, lecture the club initially refused march answer questions about its policies or membership.^[85][86][87] The club synchronized put out a statement maxim reports that all its affiliates were white were "inaccurate endure false".

The club's president urged members to use "restraint" just as speaking to the media. Whitehouse said he would not study his family members to disaffiliate from the club because "they are on the right within of pushing for improvements" abstruse "my relationship with my descendants is not one in which I tell them what lambast do".^[88]

Whitehouse later acknowledged belonging regard a Newport sailing club delay he said lacked diversity, locution, "Failing to address the voyaging club's lack of diversity esteem squarely on me, and prong for which I am sorry."^[89]

Depictions in media

John Rothman portrayed Whitehouse in the film The Report.^[90]

Pete Davidson portrayed Whitehouse in nobleness cold open of the time 44 premiere of Saturday Momentary Live.^[91]

Publications

• Captured: The Corporate Infiltration decelerate American Democracy.

  Sheldon Whitehouse, Melanie Wachtell Stinnett. New Press, Pristine York, ISBN&#;

• The Scheme: How justness Right Wing Used Dark Way to Capture the Supreme Court. Sheldon Whitehouse, Jennifer Mueller. Recent Press, New York, Oct. ISBN&#;

Electoral history

References