The Battle of the President and Congress in the Ages of Reagan and Trump

The Institute of World Politics

About the Lecture: The authority of the President in national security affairs is a long-contested issue. Join us for a discussion on the parallels of this debate between this and past eras. Mr. Thomas Wilson will provide a peek into the internal dynamics of the Iran-Contra investigation, which will include an examination of the political and legal issues involved, noting the constitutional issues raised and contested. Mr. Wilson's central role in a political and legal drama that lasted well into the 1990's makes him uniquely well placed to discuss the investigation. About the Speaker: Mr. Thomas Wilson has led a varied and high profile career. After graduating with a BA in history from Georgetown University, he went on to pursue a law degree from Georgetown Law School. Upon graduation, rather than going into legal practice, he decided to join the US Army, serving in the 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in the United States from 1967 to 1968, and in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in the Republic of Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge, and Parachute Wings (from the United States, Israel, and the Republic of Vietnam). After military service, he pursued an MBA from Columbia University before going into legal practice. His legal career spanned more than 40 years and included representing clients such as CIA Costa Rica Station Chief Jose Fernandez in the Iran-Contra affair; the Assistant to President George H. W. Bush in an Independent Counsel investigation into the 1992 search of then Presidential candidate Bill Clinton's passport file; a client investigated for making allegedly illegal campaign contributions to the 1996 Clinton/Gore re-election campaign; the former Director of MKULTRA, the CIA's Cold War drug testing program; as well as a major private security firm in a very sensitive, high-profile investigation sited in Baghdad, Iraq. Mr. Wilson has been lead counsel on a host of matters before numerous appellate tribunals, including most United States Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Until his retirement in 2013, he served as of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe, L.L.P., where he practiced general litigation with specialties in complex civil, administrative and white-collar criminal litigation.