John Podesta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Podesta
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Podesta in 2024
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| Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy | |
| In office March 6, 2024 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | John Kerry (U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate) |
| Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation | |
| In office September 2, 2022 – January 20, 2025 Serving with Steve Benjamin, Tom Perez, Annie Tomasini, Karine Jean-Pierre
and Ben LaBolt and Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, Gene Sperling, Mitch Landrieu, Neera Tanden, Julie Rodriguez & Keisha Lance Bottoms |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Kristina Costa |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Counselor to the President | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – February 13, 2015 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Pete Rouse |
| Succeeded by | Kellyanne Conway |
| 20th White House Chief of Staff | |
| In office October 20, 1998 – January 20, 2001 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Deputy | Steve Ricchetti Maria Echaveste |
| Preceded by | Erskine Bowles |
| Succeeded by | Andy Card |
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations |
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| In office January 20, 1997 – October 20, 1998 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Chief of Staff | Erskine Bowles |
| Preceded by | Evelyn Lieberman |
| Succeeded by | Steve Ricchetti |
| White House Staff Secretary | |
| In office January 20, 1993 – June 30, 1995 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Phillip Brady |
| Succeeded by | Todd Stern |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John David Podesta Jr.
January 8, 1949 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Podesta
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Tony Podesta (brother) |
| Education | Knox College (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
John David Podesta Jr. (born January 8, 1949) is an American political consultant. He has worked in high-level roles for several U.S. Presidents.
From 2024 to 2025, he was the Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. Before that, he helped with clean energy plans from 2022 to 2024. He also served as White House chief of staff for President Bill Clinton (1998–2001). Later, he was a counselor for President Barack Obama (2014–2015).
Podesta also worked in the Clinton administration as White House staff secretary (1993–1995). He was also the White House deputy chief of staff for operations (1997–1998). He is a former president of the Center for American Progress (CAP). This is a group in Washington, D.C., that studies public policy. He was also in charge of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
As a senior advisor to President Joe Biden, Podesta helps manage money for clean energy projects. These funds come from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In early 2024, he took over from John Kerry as the top U.S. climate diplomat.
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John Podesta's Early Life and Education
Podesta grew up in Jefferson Park, a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Mary, was Greek-American. His father, John David Podesta Sr., was Italian-American. His brother, Tony Podesta, is a lobbyist. John's father encouraged his children to go to college.
In 1967, Podesta finished high school at Lane Tech in Chicago. He met Bill Clinton in 1970 while working on a political campaign in Connecticut. In 1971, he graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He later earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976.
Podesta started his career as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice. He also worked as a Special Assistant for ACTION, a federal volunteer agency. His political work began in 1972 on George McGovern's presidential campaign.
John Podesta's Career Highlights
Podesta held several roles on Capitol Hill. He was a Counselor to Senator Thomas Daschle from 1995 to 1996. He also served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Agriculture Committee. In 1988, he and his brother Tony started a lobbying firm. This firm, now called the Podesta Group, works with the Democratic Party.
Working in the Clinton Administration
Podesta was an assistant to President Clinton and a deputy chief of staff. From 1993 to 1995, he was a staff secretary. He also advised on government information and privacy. He helped manage a difficult situation during the Clinton administration.
In 1998, he became President Clinton's chief of staff. He held this role until Clinton left office in 2001. Podesta supported an order that helped release millions of pages of U.S. history documents.
After the Clinton Administration
In 2003, Podesta started the Center for American Progress. This is a liberal group that studies policy. He was its president until 2011. He still serves on its board of directors.
Podesta has taught law at Georgetown University Law Center. He teaches about topics like congressional investigations and law and technology. In 2009, he went with Bill Clinton to North Korea. They helped get two American journalists released.
Podesta believes there is too much government secrecy. He said that releasing many old government documents was a big success for the Clinton administration. Over 800 million pages were made public.
Podesta has also supported releasing government files about UFOs. He believes the government should share more data with scientists. He wrote the introduction for a book about UFOs by Leslie Kean. This book shares stories from generals, pilots, and government officials.
In 2022, President Joe Biden named Podesta as a senior advisor. His job was to help with clean energy plans. He managed a large investment for climate projects from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In 2024, he became the top U.S. climate diplomat.
John Podesta's Email Controversy
In October 2016, a group called WikiLeaks started sharing many emails. These emails were reportedly from Podesta's private email account. Some of them contained information about Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Podesta and Clinton's campaign did not confirm if the emails were real. Experts who looked into the leak said a Russian hacking group might have gotten access to his account. Podesta believed Russian intelligence was behind the leak. He thought they wanted to influence the presidential election.
The United States Intelligence Community also said Russian intelligence was involved. Russian President Vladimir Putin said these claims were false. He said the "hysteria" was to distract from what the hackers revealed.
John Podesta's Personal Life
Podesta is Catholic. He has worked with groups like Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. He married Mary Podesta, a lawyer, in 1978. They have three children. His daughter, Megan Rouse, was president of a school board. Podesta also enjoys cooking.
See also
In Spanish: John Podesta para niños
- Podesta Group
- Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)
