David S. Cohen

Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, Department of Treasury (since January 2011); Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing (since May 2009)

(Dept. of Treasury)

Why He Matters

A lawyer with a vast background in white-collar crime, Cohen is the acting head of the Treasury's efforts to stop foreign financing of terrorist groups.

He began his tenure in the Obama administration as the assistant Treasury secretary for terrorist financing. In January 2011, President Obama nominated him to the position of under secretary for terrorism and financial crimes to replace his boss, Stuart A. Levey, if confirmed by the Senate.

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Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Partner at WilmerHale (2001 to 2009); Various positions in the Treasury's General Counsel offices (1999 to 2001)
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Alma Mater: Cornell University, B.A., 1985; Yale, J.D., 1989

DC Office: 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; Phone: (202) 622-2000
Web site

Path to Power

Growing up, Cohen's parents both worked at local universities. His father was dean of the medical school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook ,while his mother worked at Touro College of Law as director of external affairs.

Cohen attended Cornell University, earning a bachelor's of arts. Shortly afterwards, he attended Yale law school.

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The Issues

In May 2009, the Senate confirmed Cohen as assistant secretary for terrorist financing. As the head of Treasury's efforts to stop terrorist funding, Cohen worked to prevent money laundering that could help terrorist groups pay for illegal activity. He also developed strategies to convince banks and financial organizations globally to cease doing business with terrorist organizations.

al-Qaeda

In October 2009, Cohen gave a speech to a joint conference of the American Banking Association and American Bar Association. In it, he said that the Treasury Department's efforts to target donors or fundraisers for terrorist organizations have succeeded in slowing down terrorist groups' ability to fund their disruptive goals. The group hardest hit was al-Qaeda, according to Cohen.

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The Network

In the Treasury, Cohen reports to Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart A. Levey. During his confirmation hearing, Cohen said he has known Levey for nearly 20 years.

From 1999 to 2001, Cohen served in various roles within the Treasury Department's General Counsel's office, including a stint as acting-deputy general counsel. Deputy Secretary Neal S. Wolin served as the Treasury general counsel during Cohen's two-year stint in the Clinton Treasury.

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Campaign Contributions

From 2006 to 2008, Cohen donated nearly $4,000 to various Democratic candidates. In 2006, Cohen donated $2,600 to Barack Obama (D).

Additional Resources