People in the news

Jake Siewert

Counselor to the Treasury Secretary (since June 2009)

(Alcoa)

Why He Matters

For four months from 2000 to 2001, Richard L. "Jake" Siewert was on television daily, parrying with the press as President Clinton's fourth and final press secretary. Siewert loved the job, and hoped he would be doing the same thing if Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election. That didn't happen, and the rising star Democratic communications star left government service for private practice.

After eight years working at Alcoa and months of speculation, Siewert returned to the government to advise Obama Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and works alongside one of his old bosses, Gene Sperling, as the Treasury implemented measures to boost the struggling American economy.

More on: Jake Siewert

At a Glance
Path to Power
The Issues
The Network
Campaign Contributions
Additional Resources

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Vice President, Business Development and Public Strategy at Alcoa (2008 to 2009); Alcoa vice president, global communications and public strategy (2001 to 2008); White House press secretary (Oct. 2000 to Jan. 2001); Deputy White House press secretary (1999 to 2000)
Birthday: Feb. 1, 1964
Hometown: New York City, N.Y.
Alma Mater: Yale University, B.A. (humanities), 1986

Spouse: Christine Anderson
DC Office: 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20220; Phone: (202) 622-2000
Web site

Path to Power

Siewert was born in New York City to a pair of public school teachers. His mother taught kindergarten, while Siewert's father educated high-school students in social studies.

Siewert used his educational background to excel in school. In 1986, he graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's in the humanities. Siewert then attended Emory University to study comparative literature and philosophy, but he didn't enjoy the subjects enough to stick with it. Instead, he attended the University of California at Berkeley to earn a law degree. Siewert went to the law school for three years, but left before graduating, deciding the law wasn't for him.

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The Issues

By all appearances, Siewert had left politics behind after serving in the Clinton administration. He had a successful career working at Alcoa, and spent his down time helping his wife, Christine Anderson, care for their six-month old newborn son. Despite speculation that he would join the Obama administration with many of his old colleagues and friends, Siewert resisted. But in June 2009, Siewert decided he wouldn't sit on the sidelines any longer in the midst of the pressing economic crisis. As the White House announced that Treasury Communications Director Cutter would move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Siewert was reportedly finalizing a deal to return to the Treasury as a counselor to Geithner.

Siewert does not need Senate confirmation for the post, and he would join an already large group of informal advisers that include Sperling, his former NEC boss, and auto task force head Ron Bloom. Siewert's services were badly needed at a department that had been criticized for being severely understaffed in the throes of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

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Siewert advises the Treasury secretary on policy issues, particularly how Geithner's plans will resonate politically. Furthermore, Siewert is able to assist the secretary with the press. Geithner has admitted that he has struggled with the communication aspect of his job, and Siewert adds an experienced spokesperson on Geithner's team.

Sperling's Spokesman

By Clinton's second term, Siewert had become NEC Director Sperling's spokesperson. Sperling was known as a policy wonk who explained even basic questions with intricate economic data and arcane financial terminology. Siewert was able to decipher Sperling's code and explain it to the media. "Jake was the guy who could simultaneously translate Gene Sperling and then also give me a one-liner," said Clinton's second press secretary, Michael D. McCurry.

Siewert did more than just translate Sperling's plans to the world; he also pushed economics to the forefront of the Clinton agenda, arguing that reducing the deficit could make for impressive headlines. In 1998, Clinton had guided the U.S. economy into a $69.2 billion surplus. He followed that up in 1999 with a $122.7 billion surplus, recording the first back-to-back years of federal budget surpluses since 1957. Siewert wanted the administration to make these numbers the centerpiece of the Clinton presidency. In 1998, as the Treasury reported the growing surplus numbers in monthly reports, Siewert urged the White House communications shop to make this the news of the day. "Jake was absolutely the first to realize that these reports had the potential to move from the back pages of Forbes to the front pages of major newspapers," said Sperling.

By the time Siewert became Clinton's spokesperson, the former president was winding down his presidency. But Siewert was charged with handling the media surrounding Clinton's plea bargain with federal prosecutors over making false statements when testifying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, and the U.S. response to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

The Network

Siewert served in the Clinton administration alongside many officials that received jobs in the Obama administration. While at the National Economic Council, Siewert worked as NEC Director Gene Sperling's spokesperson. Lael Brainard, who was Sperling's deputy director from 1994 to 2000, will also join Obama's Treasury as under secretary-designate for international affairs. From 1999 to 2000, while Siewert served as the deputy White House press secretary, he worked with Clinton's chief of staff and Obama's transition co-chair John D. Podesta. Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was an aide to President Clinton and is a Siewert friend.

Campaign Contributions

Siewert has donated $4,550, since 2003, all of which has gone to Democratic candidates. In 2003, Siewert donated $1,000 to Rahm Emanuel's congressional race in Illinois. From 2007 to 2008, Siewert donated $2,300 to Hillary Rodham Clinton while she ran for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Additional Resources