Garrett Ziegler is an American political aide and former White House staffer in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.[1] He is also known for founding the nonprofit Marco Polo, which compiles and publishes (often negative) information about the Biden family, particularly Hunter Biden. He has been described as an informal "Hunter Biden specialist", and his actions in this realm have had him sued by Biden and others.[2][1]
Garrett Ziegler | |
|---|---|
 Ziegler in a 2020 White House staff portrait | |
| White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy | |
| In office February, 2019 – January, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Personal details | |
| Education | Saint Louis University (BS) |
Early life and education
editZiegler was raised by his parents in Altamont, Illinois, and in 2014 graduated from Altamont High School. He then attended Saint Louis University, graduating magna cum laude in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in economics.[3]
White House staff position
editZiegler was employed by the White House coming out of college, serving as a policy analyst in the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, under Peter Navarro.[3][4] He served in this position from February 2019 to January 2021.[4] During this role, he wrote reports on numerous issues, espousing, among other opinions, that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned and the 2020 election was stolen.[2]
December 18 2020 Trump meeting
editZiegler received media attention, and scrutiny from the Jan. 6 committee, for his actions on December 18 2020 when he escorted Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell into the White House for a meeting with President Trump. During the meeting, Trump was unsuccessfully urged to seize voting machines using military force.[5] Ziegler had credentials revoked after the incident.[6]
Marco Polo and other actions related to the Biden family
editZiegler is the founder of a nonprofit named Marco Polo, and both he and his organization have been prolific in releasing information about the Biden family, particularly revolving around Hunter Biden and data purported to be from his laptop. This has included an October 2022 release of a long report on the laptop that alleged numerous crimes were committed by Hunter Biden, releases of about 120,000 emails and other files, along with almost 10,000 photos, both caches claimed to be from the laptop,[7] and publishing a transcription of a diary said to be written by Biden's sister, Ashley.[2][8]
Reception
editZiegler has said he first received a copy of the laptop's data through Rudy Giuliani and Bernard Kerik in late 2020. Republican activist Jack Maxey claimed that in December 2020, he gave Ziegler a copy of the data to bring to the Director of National Intelligence, but that Ziegler instead retained it. In response, Ziegler stated that Maxey indeed gave him a copy of the data, but that he received another copy from Kerik and returned the copy Maxey gave him. Maxey has also accused Ziegler of profiting from the laptop through donations to his organization.[8]
Several Republican lawmakers have discussed his work, especially his October 2022 report. Senator Ron Johnson said in an interview that "you ought to read the Marco Polo report where they detail all kinds of potential crimes." Representative James Comer endorsed the report's detailing of banking records, and some spectators noted that in a congressional hearing, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene displayed images of Hunter Biden in similar orders and with similar redactions as the Marco Polo report, from which Ziegler believes that she did indeed consult his report.[2]
Legal and governmental issues
editJanuary 6th Committee meeting
editZiegler met with the January 6th Committee on July 19th 2022, believed to have been related to the December 18 2020 White House meeting.[9] Media speculation prior to the committee meeting believed he would be a witness to the committee due to his connections with Navarro, the December 18 meeting, and his other knowledge about Trump's dispositions late in the administration.[10] After attending the committee, he posted a lengthy response on his Telegram page, described by spectators as vulgar and sexist. In it, he called the body "a Bolshevistic anti-White campaign", and among other claims, said he was being targeted based on his Christianity.[11][12]
Legal issues
editZiegler was brought onto the child support case between Lunden Roberts and Hunter Biden by Robert's lawyers, who had him designated an expert witness. They stated Ziegler was "an expert in Hunter Biden" and many details of his life. At first, Biden's attorneys opposed his inclusion on the grounds of a lack of expertise and an alleged bias against Biden, but eventually conceded to his inclusion. Ziegler then gave a deposition to the court. The case was eventually settled.[2]
In September 2023, Ziegler was sued by Hunter Biden for allegedly violating privacy laws when "accessing, tampering with, manipulating, altering, copying and damaging computer data" of Biden's. The suit describes Ziegler as a "zealot who has waged a sustained, unhinged and obsessed campaign against [Hunter Biden] and the entire Biden family for more than two years."[13][2] In June 2024 Judge Hernán Vera rejected a motion by Ziegler to dismiss the suit based on the First Amendment and Anti-SLAPP statutes, saying the motion "lacks merit."[14] As of August 2024, litigation continues.[15]
Ziegler was also sued by Kevin Morris, friend and patron of Hunter Biden, on claims of doxing his personal information and harassment.[2][16]
Personal life
editZiegler is a Lutheran, and lives with his family in Illinois. He is a cousin of Richard Nixon's press secretary, Ron Ziegler.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Bruggeman, Lucien (2023-09-13). "Hunter Biden sues former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler over infamous laptop". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kornfield, Meryl; Alemany, Jacqueline; Merrill, Jeremy (2023-09-17). "The scorched-earth activist trying to take down Hunter Biden". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ a b Mills, Charles (3 January 2020). "Altamont native describes role in White House". Effingham Daily News. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Deposition of: Garrett Ziegler" (PDF). govinfo.gov. Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, U.S. House of Representatives. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Swan, Betsy Woodruff (2023-09-13). "Hunter Biden sues ex-Trump staffer tied to laptop's dissemination". Politico. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Broadwater, Luke (2022-02-09). "Jan. 6 Inquiry Subpoenas Navarro, Who Worked to Overturn Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Abel, Luther Ray (2023-06-01). "Nearly 10,000 Photos from Hunter Biden's Laptop Published". National Review. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ a b Thompson, Alex; Tani, Max (2022-07-13). "The Holy War over Hunter Biden's laptop". Politico. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Millman, Andrew; Cohen, Zachary (2022-07-19). "Ex-Trump aide tied to 'unhinged' December 2020 White House meeting speaks with January 6 committee | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Rubin, Lisa (2022-07-16). "Why Navarro aide Garrett Ziegler could be a key Jan. 6 witness". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Hannah; Cohen, Marshall (2022-07-20). "Former Trump White House aide who met with January 6 panel attacks witnesses, lawmakers in profane and sexist rant". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Suliman, Adela (2022-07-21). "Trump White House aide goes on sexist tirade, calls Jan. 6 panel 'anti-White'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Schrader, Adam (2023-09-13). "Hunter Biden files lawsuit against former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler". UPI. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Mordowanec, Nick (2024-06-21). "Former Trump aide must face Hunter Biden lawsuit, judge rules". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ "Hunter Biden asks judge to force ex-Trump aide to pay legal fees for 'frivolity' in lawsuit". Law & Crime. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Draper, Robert (2024-06-05). "The President's Son: A Routine Gun Case, but Abnormal in Every Way". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-31.