Norm Eisen
During the Trump era, attorney Norm Eisen has been propelled to action by what he sees as a rising appeal for authoritarianism in the United States. That concern is rooted in family history: his mother, a Czechoslovak Jewish survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, experienced firsthand the horror that can ensue when demagogues exploit fear and prejudice to consolidate power. Eisen’s family background profoundly shaped his understanding of the fragility of democracy and the corruption and cruelty that often accompany authoritarian movements.
A Harvard-trained lawyer and law school classmate of President Barack Obama, Eisen has devoted much of his career to ethics law, constitutional accountability, and anti-corruption litigation. His recent work has put him at the center of litigation and investigations concerning election interference, corruption, and abuses of presidential power by President Donald Trump.
Eisen is the Co-founder and Executive Chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, an organization devoted to the defense of constitutional democracy that has played a substantive role in several landmark pro-democracy decisions including defending birthright citizenship, opposing the unlawful firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, preventing President Trump from desecrating the Kennedy Center, and vindicating David Hearn, the Olympian accused of touching the Reflecting Pool.
During the Obama administration, Eisen served as special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform. Those working in the Obama administration called him "Dr. No" for his stringent ethical requirements, including limiting registered lobbyists from taking positions in the administration. Obama later appointed him U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic.
Eisen also served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for the impeachment and trial of President Trump. Eisen was called “a critical force” in building the case for Trump’s impeachment.
In conjunction with his work as an attorney, Eisen is committed to championing democracy in the court of public opinion. His publication, The Contrarian, has over 500,000 subscribers and is a prominent voice in the independent media ecosystem. A prolific author, he has written six books, and he contributes opinion pieces to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, and other national publications. Eisen was credited by director Wes Anderson as an inspiration for the character of the crusading lawyer Deputy Kovacs in the 2014 film “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
“The Constitution has something called The Emoluments Clause. That's just a fancy, 18th century word for no foreign government payments. And Donald Trump is collecting foreign government payments and other benefits throughout his businesses.”
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25, 2026