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Attorney returns to White House under legal siege

By WTOP Staff

NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyer Neil Eggleston could be looking toward a comfortable retirement on the generous nest egg he built through high-stakes representation of prominent Washington officials and corporate clients. Instead, he’s returning to a grueling post at a White House under siege on multiple legal fronts.

The 61-year-old Eggleston has come on as chief counsel as President Barack Obama faces congressional investigations, pushback from the Supreme Court, and House Speaker John Boehner’s announcement last month that he intends to sue the president over his stepped-up use of executive orders.

Among the myriad sensitive matters requiring Eggleston’s expertise, Boehner’s suit is an unexpected challenge he must prepare for without knowing exactly the legal arguments it will make. In his first interview since coming to the White House this spring, Eggleston predicted the matter will be quickly dismissed by a judge for a lack of legal standing.

“As I used to tell clients in private practice, anybody can sue anybody over anything,” Eggleston told The Associated Press from his West Wing corner office. “The fact that he’s going to say that he’s going to bring some lawsuit is not going to affect what the president is going to do.”

Eggleston’s guidance of the legal limits of Obama’s executive actions draws from experience working across all three branches of government early in his career. He clerked for Chief Justice Warren Burger, a conservative chosen by President Richard Nixon, and later worked for the House Select Committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair. He was in President Bill Clinton’s counsel’s office during oversight hearings into the Whitewater real estate transactions and later helped fight subpoenas of presidential aides in the Monica Lewinsky investigation.

In private practice, he represented white-collar clients, including the outside directors at Enron after the company’s financial collapse. His political clients included Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a witness in the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He also represented former Cabinet secretaries Federico Pena and Alexis Herman when they were facing investigations that did not result in charges.

Sara Taylor Fagen, President George W. Bush’s former political director, hired Eggleston when she was subpoenaed in a congressional investigation into White House involvement in the firings of U.S. attorneys. The White House advised her not to testify, but Eggleston escorted her to Capitol Hill and sat by, telling her which questions she could answer without violating Bush’s claims of executive privilege.

“He completely led the White House counsel out of a tricky situation when it should have been the other way around,” Fagen said.

Obama didn’t know Eggleston until outgoing counsel Kathy Ruemmler recommended him as her replacement. After he was chosen, she arranged a Camp David retreat for administration lawyers to get to know Eggleston. She “played Charlie Rose,” interviewing him before the group about growing up the son of a lawyer in Indiana, his experiences with Clinton and his management style.

Eggleston advises Obama on diplomatic policy, congressional investigations and judicial nominations, including preparation for a possible Supreme Court vacancy. He’s also a national security adviser on issues such as counterterrorism operations, like the capture of terrorism suspect Ahmed Abu Khattala, and the fallout of government surveillance disclosures by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Eggleston’s financial disclosure report shows he has assets worth between $15 million and $43 million. He says part of how he’s built that wealth is that he is not much of a spender — he has one home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and drives an 8-year-old car. He paid college tuition only for his daughter, a member of the Teach For America corps in Rhode Island, while his son is attending Eggleston’s alma mater, Duke University, on a soccer scholarship. He traveled to Tuscany last year as part of a cycling group he helps organize, but his other summer trips have been to the more modest destinations of Vermont and Iowa.

Eggleston said he has no qualms about coming back into government service amid so many challenges.

“To me, that’s even better,” he said with a smile.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler at http://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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