A longtime partner astatine the Washington rule patient Williams & Connolly, Barnett was the go-to lawyer for politicians and nationalist officials moving into backstage life
Robert Barnett, a Washington lawyer who represented powerful politicians and galore of the biggest stars successful TV news business, died Friday aft a long, unspecified illness. He was 79.
Barnett’s decease successful a Washington infirmary was confirmed by his wife, retired CBS News analogous Rita Braver.
A longtime partner astatine the Washington rule patient Williams & Connolly, Barnett was the go-to lawyer for politicians and nationalist officials moving into backstage life. He helped procure multimillion-dollar book contracts for erstwhile Presidents Obama, Clinton and George W. Bush.
Barnett was a Democratic governmental insider arsenic well. He would play opposing candidates successful mock debates to thief hole the statesmanlike tickets of Al Gore and Joe Lieberman successful 2000, John Kerry and John Edwards successful 2004, Hillary Clinton erstwhile she first ran for president successful 2008, and Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee Geraldine Ferraro successful 1984.
“I baited [Ferraro] a batch and she sewage truthful angry pinch maine that she often walked complete to maine and slugged maine connected the arm,” Barnett told CNN successful 2008. “So I near the process achromatic and blue.”
Barnett was besides Bill Clinton’s statement sparring partner during the 1992 statesmanlike campaign. He besides advised the Clintons erstwhile White House adjutant and family friend Vince Foster killed himself successful 1993 and erstwhile the world learned that Bill Clinton had an matter pinch White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Barnett’s TV news customer database included erstwhile NBC News anchor Brian Williams, “60 Minutes” analogous Lesley Stahl, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, Chris Wallace, NBC News analogous Andrea Mitchell, and Jesse Watters and Peter Doocy astatine Fox News. He besides represented his wife, whom he joined successful 1972.
Barnett besides navigated Ann Curry’s messy exit from NBC’s “Today” successful 2012.
As an attorney, Barnett was known for his expertise to travel up pinch deals tailored to the needs of his clients.
“Many of these group who travel retired of authorities person an tremendous number of offers,” Barnett told the Financial Times successful 2008. “The first point we do is beryllium down and say: ‘What are your goals? Do you want to unrecorded present aliases there? You wanna make money aliases person fun?’”
One logic galore clients gravitated to Barnett is that, dissimilar agents, he did not return a commission. They paid a precocious hourly complaint for his services, not the accepted supplier fees of 10% to 15% of salaries aliases book advances.
Barnett’s clients believed he gave them 100% sloppy of their stature.
“Bob represented maine successful my negotiations pinch ABC and made maine consciousness conscionable arsenic important arsenic his much celebrated clients,” retired analogous Judy Muller wrote connected Facebook. “A really decent, smart man.”
The sentiment was shared by CBS News Executive Editor Susan Zirinsky.
“Every personification who worked pinch Bob knew their secrets were safe,” Zirinsky said successful an interview. “He was the eventual protector.”
Barnett besides drew praise from the companies that paid the lucrative contracts for his TV clients.
“His pristine integrity, wise counsel and knowledge of our business were an invaluable assets to maine complete the people of our 30-year relationship,” Suzanne Scott, main executive of Fox News Media, said successful a statement.
Barnett besides represented bestselling authors James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark.
Barnett was calved successful Waukegan, Ill., wherever his begetter operated the section Social Security agency and his mother worked portion clip successful a section store. He majored successful governmental subject astatine the University of Wisconsin and received a rule grade from the University of Chicago.
He moved to Washington successful the early 1970s. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White and worked arsenic an adjutant to then-Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota. He joined Williams & Connolly successful 1975, and was made a partner 3 years later.
In summation to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Meredith Barnett; a sister; and 3 grandchildren.
