Dana Boente

Dana Boente – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

An in-depth biography of Dana Boente (born February 7, 1954) — American public servant and career Justice Department lawyer who served as Acting U.S. Attorney General (2017), Acting Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Acting AAG for National Security, and later FBI General Counsel. Explore his early life, milestones, notable cases, controversies, legacy, and famous quotes.

Introduction

Dana James Boente is a veteran American public servant whose four-decade career at the U.S. Department of Justice spanned line prosecutor to cabinet-level acting roles. In January–February 2017, after the dismissal of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, Boente briefly became Acting Attorney General, later serving as Acting Deputy Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. He previously led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) and, from 2018 to 2020, served as FBI General Counsel. His résumé places him at the center of several consequential moments in recent U.S. legal and political history.

Early Life and Family

Boente was born February 7, 1954, in Carlinville, Illinois. He earned a B.S.B.A. (1976) and M.B.A. (1977) from Saint Louis University, then a J.D. (1982) from Saint Louis University School of Law. After law school he clerked for Chief U.S. District Judge J. Waldo Ackerman (C.D. Ill.).

Youth and Education

Raised in the Midwest, Boente’s academic path through business and law at Saint Louis University gave him a grounding in finance and administration before he joined public service. That combination—business rigor and legal training—would later inform his approach to complex fraud, public corruption, and national security matters.

Career and Achievements

From Trial Lawyer to U.S. Attorney

Boente entered DOJ via the Attorney General’s Honors Program (Tax Division) in 1984, later serving in EDVA’s Fraud Unit. He held multiple leadership assignments, including U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana (2012–2013) and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (acting from 2013; Senate-confirmed 2015–2018).

Notable EDVA work: his office prosecuted former Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell; following the 2015 Fourth Circuit affirmance, Boente said, “We are pleased with today’s ruling,” and after sentencing remarked, “No one is above the law.” The U.S. Supreme Court later unanimously vacated McDonnell’s conviction in 2016; DOJ ultimately declined to retry.

Acting Attorney General (Jan 30 – Feb 9, 2017)

On January 30, 2017, after President Trump dismissed Acting AG Sally Yates, Channing D. Phillips briefly served under an Obama-era succession order until the White House designated Dana Boente as Acting Attorney General later that evening. Boente served until Jeff Sessions was confirmed and sworn in on February 9, 2017.

Acting Deputy Attorney General (Feb 9 – Apr 26, 2017)

Upon Sessions’s swearing-in, Boente became Acting Deputy Attorney General. During March 2017, after Sessions recused himself from campaign-related matters, Boente was designated to perform AG functions for those matters until Rod Rosenstein was confirmed in late April.

Acting AAG for National Security (Apr 28, 2017 – Feb 22, 2018)

Attorney General Sessions named Boente Acting Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s National Security Division on April 28, 2017, where Boente served until John Demers took office.

FBI General Counsel (Jan 23, 2018 – Jun 30, 2020)

FBI Director Christopher Wray appointed Boente FBI General Counsel in January 2018. The FBI announced his resignation effective June 30, 2020 amid renewed political scrutiny of FBI decisions from the 2016–2017 period.

Historical Milestones & Context

Boente’s tenure overlapped with defining episodes in U.S. law and politics:

• Travel-ban turmoil (2017): His brief period as Acting AG occurred the same night Yates was fired over her refusal to defend the first travel-ban order, placing Boente squarely in a flashpoint of early Trump-era policy litigation.

• Post-recusal line of authority: In March 2017, with Sessions recused, Boente temporarily shouldered AG functions for campaign-related matters until Rosenstein’s confirmation, highlighting the importance of succession law and DOJ norms.

• Carter Page FISA renewals debate: Public documents and congressional summaries indicate Boente signed at least one Carter Page FISA renewal in 2017, a point later central to partisan disputes about the Russia investigation and FISA procedures.

Legacy and Influence

• Career nonpartisan service: Spanning administrations of both parties, Boente’s path (Tax Division → EDLA/EDVA → Acting AG/DAG/NSD → FBI GC) reflects a classic DOJ career built on institutional continuity and rule-of-law norms.

• Public-corruption enforcement footprint: The McDonnell prosecution (and subsequent Supreme Court reversal narrowing “official act”) became a watershed moment, shaping how prosecutors charge corruption cases nationwide.

• Crisis leadership: His interim leadership during volatile transitions (January–April 2017) underscored the often-quiet stabilizing role of career officials at DOJ.

Personality and Talents

Colleagues and public remarks suggest a lawyer known for steadiness and institutional loyalty. Reflecting on FBI service, Boente emphasized agent professionalism: “Everyone makes mistakes… they’re a dedicated group of patriotic men and women, and I was proud to work with them.”

Famous Quotes of Dana Boente

Looking for “Dana Boente quotes” and “famous sayings of Dana Boente”? Credited lines from press statements and profiles include:

• “No one is above the law.” (on former Gov. Robert McDonnell’s sentencing, 2015)

• “We are pleased with today’s ruling affirming the conviction…” (after the Fourth Circuit’s 2015 decision in McDonnell)

• “Everyone makes mistakes… [FBI agents] are a dedicated group of patriotic men and women, and I was proud to work with them.” (reflecting on FBI service)

Note: Many DOJ quotes come from official press releases or brief on-camera gaggles; phrasing can vary slightly across outlets.

Lessons from Dana Boente

1. Institution first: Long careers inside rule-bound institutions can steady governments during political turbulence.

2. Prosecutorial humility after precedent shifts: McDonnell shows how Supreme Court rulings can reset the standards prosecutors must meet in public-corruption cases.

3. Succession and process matter: Executive-order fine print and DOJ succession rules can decide who holds power at critical moments.

4. National security law evolves: Rotations through NSD and the FBI highlight how legal advice, surveillance law, and oversight adapt under intense public scrutiny.

5. Public trust depends on transparency: High-profile cases and surveillance authorities (like FISA) demand rigorous documentation and public explanation to maintain confidence.

Conclusion

The life and career of Dana Boente trace the arc of a consummate public servant: Midwestern beginnings, rigorous legal training, and nearly four decades across DOJ, culminating in stewardship roles during some of the most contentious legal episodes of the 2010s. His path through EDVA, brief stints as Acting AG and Acting DAG, leadership at NSD, and tenure as FBI General Counsel illustrate both the weight and the quiet continuity of the American justice system.

For more famous quotes, deeper dives into his EDVA cases, or a timeline of his 2017 succession roles, explore our additional resources on the life and career of Dana Boente.