Brian R. Morgenstern

Brian Robert Morgenstern is an American attorney and political advisor who served as White House Deputy Press Secretary to Kayleigh McEnany from 2020 to 2021. Appointed in July 2020, Morgenstern succeeded Hogan Gidley, who left the White House Office to serve on the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign.

Early life and education
Morgenstern was raised in New Jersey. In high school, he participated in the United States House of Representatives page program, where he was assigned to the office of Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Morgenstern earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. As an undergraduate, Morgenstern was president of the Georgetown University Student Organization and a member of Alpha Kappa Delta.

Career
After graduating from law school, Morgenstern worked as an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in New York City. While working in New York, he hosted a comedy variety show at Stand Up NY, which featured various political pundits. He was also the president of The New York Young Republican Club.

Morgenstern joined the United States Department of the Treasury in August 2017, where he served as deputy assistant secretary for external affairs and worked to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. At the Department of the Treasury, Morgenstern served as a chief speechwriter and senior aide to Steven Mnuchin. In July 2020, Morgenstern was selected to serve as White House Deputy Press Secretary and deputy White House Communications Director, succeeding Hogan Gidley.

In October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgenstern was criticized for refusing to answer questions regarding Trump's health following the president's diagnosis with COVID-19. His refusal to answer questions regarding Trump's last negative coronavirus test, considering the president's recent outdoor campaign rallies that may have exposed attendees to the virus, drew condemnation from various commentators.