David Norman Bossie (born November 1, 1965) is an American

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. Since 2000, he has been president and chairman of conservative

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...

Citizens United and in 2016, Bossie was the deputy campaign manager to the Donald Trump presidential campaign. Subsequently Bossie had a falling out with the Trump campaign and administration in May 2019 after Axios reported that Bossie had been accused by the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

of defrauding political donors by funneling their donations to himself through consultants and book sales. In January 2020 he returned to prominent association with the Trump administration as a strategic ally to help contest the impeachment of Donald Trump based on his past familiarity with impeachment battles. In 1992, Bossie joined Citizens United as a researcher, during which time Citizens United produced many films promoting Republican perspectives and talking points. Later in the 1990s, Bossie had a troubled turn as congressional investigator. Bossie was hired by the chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform and new Oversight in 1997 as chief investigator to look into possible campaign finance abuses by U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

. In May 1998, bipartisan concern mounted over inappropriate redaction of tapes and transcripts of former U.S. Associate AG

Webster Hubbell Webster Lee "Webb" Hubbell (born January 18, 1948) is a former United States Associate Attorney General from 1993 to 1994 who as part of the Whitewater controversy pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of failing to disclose a conf ...

's prison telephone calls omitting some exculpatory passages.

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U. ...

pressed for Bossie's resignation which followed shortly thereafter. In 2010, Bossie produced the American documentary film ''Generation Zero'' for Citizens United Productions, written and directed by

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...

, which attributes in some measure the origins of the

financial crisis of 2007–2008 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of ...

to moral failings of the

Baby Boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are ofte ...

generation, in particular their turning away from parental values during the

countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

1960s. Bossie has written several books attacking Democratic rivals, including

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

, and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, as well as a political memoir co-authored with Corey Lewandowski concerning

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's successful

2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

. In June 2018, Bossie, a regular guest on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...

programs, made a statement to a fellow guest which was an insult to African-Americans; he later apologized. Fox News suspended him for two weeks, calling the remarks "deeply offensive and wholly inappropriate."

Early life

Bossie grew up in Massachusetts. He attended Towson State University and the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

, but dropped out before graduation. When he was 18 years old he volunteered in

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's reelection campaign.

Career

A volunteer firefighter in his youth, Bossie dropped out of university to pursue politics. Bossie was the youth director of Sen.

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his t ...

's 1988 presidential campaign.

Congressional investigator

After the Republicans won control of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the 1994 elections, Dan Burton (R-IN) became

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of the House Committee on Government Reform and new Oversight. In 1997, he hired Bossie as chief investigator to look into possible campaign finance abuses by U.S. President

. By May 1998, Burton came under intense partisan pressure; even fellow Republicans complained that committee staff had published redacted tapes and transcripts of former

United States Associate Attorney General The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies re ...

's prison telephone calls omitting some exculpatory passages.

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

pressed Burton to seek Bossie's resignation. Shortly thereafter, Burton accepted Bossie's resignation.

Citizens United

During his tenure at Citizens United, which he had joined as a researcher after

was elected in 1992, the organization focused increasingly on producing film documentaries through its Citizens United Productions division. Their films have included: *'' Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration'' *'' Celsius 41.11'' *'' Rediscovering God in America'', hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich *'' Hillary: The Movie'' *'' Occupy Unmasked'' Citizens United hoped to begin distribution of the feature film '' Hillary: The Movie'' in January or February 2008. The

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (, ), commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act or BCRA (pronounced "bik-ruh"), is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing o ...

of 2002 made that an unlawful electioneering communication. They sued, unsuccessfully, for an

injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in p ...

to prohibit the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

from enforcement of those provisions of BCRA on

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

grounds. In a 2010

landmark decision Landmark court decisions, in present-day common law legal systems, establish precedents that determine a significant new legal principle or concept, or otherwise substantially affect the interpretation of existing law. "Leading case" is commonly ...

, the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decided ''

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ''Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', 558 U.S. 310 (2010), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding campaign finance laws and free speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It w ...

'' for Citizens United. For-profit corporations and

not-for-profit corporation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

s may now advertise and broadcast messages of a political nature without limits on how much they can spend and with few limits on the timing and nature of the messages.

Trump campaign

In September 2016,

presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

hired Bossie to be his new deputy campaign manager. In November 2020, following the conclusion of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: ** ...

, Trump recruited Bossie again to challenge ballot counting in states with tight margins. On November 9, it was reported that Bossie had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

. He had attended Trump's Election Night party, as had others who tested positive around the same time, such as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and White House Chief of Staff

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th c ...

. At this point, Bossie dropped out of the recount effort. In February 2022, Bossie "spearheaded" a Republican National Committee resolution to formally censure

Liz Cheney Elizabeth Lynne Cheney (; born July 28, 1966) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2017, with her term expiring in January 2023. She chaired the House Republican Conference, the third-highest ...

and

Adam Kinzinger Adam Daniel Kinzinger (; born February 27, 1978) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district covers eastern Rockford, most of Rockford's suburbs, and a swath of exurban territory around Chicago. He is a memb ...

for their perceived disloyalty to Trump.

Publications

Bossie is the author of ''The Many Faces of John Kerry'' (Thomas Nelson, 2004), a hostile look at the Democratic nominee in the

2004 United States presidential election The 2004 United States presidential election was the 55th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The Republican ticket of incumbent President George W. Bush and his running mate incumbent Vice President Dick Che ...

, then-

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. He has also written ''Intelligence Failure'' (also Thomas Nelson, 2004, a piece alleging failings on the part of the national security apparatus during the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over ...

in the years before September 11, 2001, when a terrorist attack caught the Bush Administration totally unprepared, they claimed, despite the warnings in the President's Daily Briefing. Bossie is also the author of the 2008 publication ''Hillary: the Politics of Personal Destruction'' and co-author of the 2000 release ''Prince Albert: the Life and Lies of Al Gore'' (Merril Press) with

Floyd Brown Floyd Gregory Brown (born March 10, 1961) is an American author, speaker, and media commentator. He is formerly the CEO of USA Radio Network. Brown founded the conservative website '' Western Journalism'' in 2008. Brown in his early career worked ...

. At the convention of the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget def ...

Convention, Bossie debuted the documentary ''

Generation Zero ''Generation Zero'' is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Steve Bannon, and produced by David N. Bossie for Citizens United Productions. The documentary features historian David Kaiser as well as author and amateur histor ...

'', focusing on the

and insinuating that it was caused by the supposed selfishness of the entire

Baby Boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. ...

generation. The documentary, produced by Bossie for Citizens United Productions, had been written and directed by

. In December 2017, '' Let Trump Be Trump'', a memoir co-authored by Bossie and Corey Lewandowski, was published by Center Street. The book chronicles their experiences working on

's successful 2016 presidential campaign.

Personal

David met his wife, Susan, through his political work. They reside in Montgomery County, Maryland with their four children. Bossie received the

Award from the

Conservative Political Action Conference The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; ) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States and beyond. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU) ...

in 1999. He also was ranked number two in ''Politico'''s top 50 most influential people in American politics in 2015, tied with Charlie Spies.

References

External links

* *
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Bossie, February 14, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bossie, David 1965 births American male non-fiction writers American political writers Employees of the United States House of Representatives Employees of the United States Senate Living people Maryland Republicans Massachusetts Republicans New Right (United States) Republican National Committee members