Image: Roman_studio/Shutterstock.com
The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Perry World House of the University of Pennsylvania hosted a panel discussion with Mr. Robert Kelner of Covington & Burling LLP, and the CERL Executive Board, Prof. Mary McCord of Georgetown University, and Mr. Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League. The event took place on September 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Prof. Shawn Turner of Michigan State University and the CERL Executive Board moderated.
PANELISTS
Mr. Robert Kelner, Covington & Burling LLP
Robert Kelner is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, in Washington, D.C., where he chairs the firm’s Election and Political Law Practice Group. He counsels clients on a wide range of political law and government ethics matters, and defends them in civil and criminal law enforcement investigations concerning political activity. He also leads the firm’s prominent congressional investigations practice. Mr. Kelner is a leading authority on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as well as federal and state campaign finance and lobbying disclosure laws. He has defended numerous corporations and individuals in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Public Integrity Section, the Federal Election Commission, Offices of Inspector General, and other federal and state agencies. In his congressional investigations practice, he has represented clients before every major congressional investigation committee, as well as the House and Senate Ethics Committees. He is ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top political law and congressional investigations attorneys in the country.
Professor Mary McCord, Georgetown University
Mary McCord is Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. McCord was the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2016 to 2017 and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security from 2014 to 2016. Previously, McCord was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly 20 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. McCord is a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on National Security and the Law and is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a nonresident fellow at the George Washington University Program on Extremism.
Mr. Oren Segal, Anti-Defamation League
As Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal and his team combat extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate in the real world and online. Recognized as the foremost authority on extremism, the Center provides resources, expertise and training which enables law enforcement, public officials and internet and technology companies to identify and counter emerging threats.
MODERATOR
Professor Shawn Turner, Michigan State University
Shawn Turner is a professor of national security communication at Michigan State University and an On-Air national security analyst for CNN. He recently completed a year-long special assignment serving as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His previous government positions include serving as the Director of Communication for National Intelligence at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as Deputy White House Press Secretary for National Security, and as Deputy Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs for the National Security Council. Earlier in his career, Shawn served for 21 years in the United States Marine Corps.