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Harvard Law fills ranks of counsel's office

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor January 28, 2009 10:25 AM

The latest round of White House staff appointments -- specifically in the counsel's office -- have a Massachusetts tinge to them.

Matthew Kennedy, a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy and great nephew of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, will be administrator to the counsel's office, the White House announced this morning. Most recently,he was Obama's constituency vote director in New Hampshire, and he managed his great uncle's 2006 re-election bid.

Norman L. Eisen, a Harvard Law School graduate, will be special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform.

Danielle Gray and Michael Gottlieb, both Harvard Law School grads and editors of the Law Review, will be associate counsels to the president. Blake Roberts, who has the same two credentials on his resume, will be a deputy associate counsel to the president.

And as disclosed by the law school last week, professor Daniel Meltzer will be principal deputy counsel to the president and deputy assistant to the president.

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Facts don't seem correct here. Grandson of JFK? Caroline only has three (young) children. I believe you mean Matthew Kennedy (born 1965) son of Bobby and Ethel. Making him the nephew of JFK and Teddy.

Posted by mo January 28, 09 10:44 AM
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Matthew Kennedy would not be President Kennedy's grandson. He is Robert Kennedy's grandson.

Posted by factcheck January 28, 09 11:05 AM
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I think there is a reporting error here. The only child of President Kennedy to have children is Caroline, and her only son is a teenager. So whatever the relationship of Matthew Kennedy to President Kennedy, he is not his grandson.

Posted by J. Burke January 28, 09 11:14 AM
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I think you mean that Matthew is the grandson of Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Posted by Mike January 28, 09 11:14 AM
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This is the elitism that surrounds Obama. You're useless unless you graduated from an ivy league school or grad school

Posted by js12 January 28, 09 11:20 AM
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How can Matthew Kennedy be John Kennedy's grandson? Perhaps he is a great-nephew?

Posted by globereader January 28, 09 11:35 AM
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Mathew Kennedy is the Grnadson of the Late Senator Bobby Kennedy..

Posted by Ester Felt January 28, 09 11:43 AM
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Matthew Kennedy is NOT the grandson of John F. Kennedy. I think he may be the grandson of Robert Kennedy, son of Joseph Kennedy II.

Posted by Kathleen Corrigan January 28, 09 11:50 AM
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Matthew Kennedy is a great nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He is a grandson of Robert Kennedy.

Posted by bill January 28, 09 11:58 AM
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These appear to be quality and experienced employees instead of rif-rafs that Bush employed solely to destroy our nation and made it a religious nation without a soul and conscience. Let inept Rebecca Goodling and Alberto Gonzalez eat these for dinner.

People working for the governement ought to be hired based on qualification, competence, experience and ability to do the work without fear or favor. Bush regime hired based on party and far right ectremist religious affiliation. These new hires bring an end to such corrupt and nepotisim practices.

Posted by Ed banks January 28, 09 11:58 AM
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Actually , I checked and Caroline has a son but he was born in 1993 and named Jack... so that's not President Kennedy's grandson Obama appointed...

Posted by Ginger Jordan January 28, 09 12:01 PM
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Matthew Kennedy is JFK's grandson? Huh? Exactly how?

Posted by amused January 28, 09 12:08 PM
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I am assuming the globe has corrected the initial posting because currently the post correctly identifies Matt as a grandson of RFK. Matt is the son of Patrick Kennedy II, former Representative from MA's 8th Congressional District and founder/chairman of Citizens Energy Corporation.

Posted by bostonpoli321 January 28, 09 02:24 PM
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Sorry Ed. These are political appointments. They are meant to be for party loyalists. Also, are only people from Harvard law qualified for these slots? It's the 'best and the brightest' with their Ivy league degrees who have absolutley demolished our economy. Then they expect everyone they look down their nose at to bail them out.

Posted by Mike January 28, 09 08:13 PM
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Of course they are political appointments, but they are also highly qualified individuals. Obama owes a great deal to Harvard Law in turning him into who he is, so he naturally trusts the caliber of lawyers they train. Again, contrast his appointees with those of Bush and you will forgive the elitism, which I don't think should even be a dirty word. It is extremely hard to get into a place like Harvard Law, let alone succeed there. Those who have proven themselves worthy of that institution are no doubt trustworthy in power.

Posted by Richard January 29, 09 09:34 AM
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Matt is one of the young Kennedy's, he is the son of Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, his mother's name is Sheila Rausch (Kennedy) Mr Kennedy's former wife, he has a twin brother named Joseph Patrick Kennedy III.
His grandfather is Robert Kennedy, his great uncle's are JFK, and Teddy Kennedy.

Posted by rmontena March 23, 09 10:27 PM
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Matthew Kennedy is LDS ( Mormon ) and the publisher of LDS Living magazine. He spoke at a publishers symposium at Boston college and then was invited to speak at Harvard. I know he worked closely with Mitt Romney but when Mitt was out of the running he worked for both Obama and Caroline Kennedy. He was invited to a symposium at the White in 2008 and attended a special meeting with Governor Huntsman in Utah.

Posted by Lynda Kilpatrick May 25, 09 12:12 AM
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