Sean Cooksey Departs Vice President JD Vance’s Office for Private Sector

The top attorney in Vice President JD Vance’s office, Sean Cooksey, is transitioning to the private sector after playing a pivotal role in several significant initiatives over the past year, including a White House deal to secure TikTok’s future in the United States.

Cooksey will be departing from his role as counsel to the vice president to join BGR Group, a prominent lobbying and public affairs firm, as reported by an individual familiar with his move to NBC News. A seasoned GOP lawyer and former chair of the Federal Election Commission, Cooksey was among the inaugural hires for Vance’s office and had intended to hold the position for roughly a year. His previous experiences include senior roles with Senators Ted Cruz from Texas and Josh Hawley from Missouri.

Vice President Vance expressed his gratitude towards Cooksey by stating, “Sean Cooksey has been a force to be reckoned with in our office and I’m grateful for the tireless work ethic he brought to the job every day. We put a number of seriously challenging problems on Sean’s desk, but he was undaunted by anything we asked him to do. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Cooksey played a vital behind-the-scenes role under Vance’s leadership, especially after President Donald Trump assigned Vance to negotiate an agreement to maintain TikTok’s online presence in the U.S. Cooksey’s efforts were instrumental in reaching a deal that transferred the control of this popular short-form video platform to a joint venture supported by American investors, aiming to alleviate concerns about TikTok’s Chinese ownership.

“Sean Cooksey stood at the forefront of advancing American innovation under President Trump,” praised Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Science and Technology. “As Counsel to Vice President JD Vance, he proved indispensable during landmark efforts including the successful TikTok negotiations. I deeply value his partnership in driving American leadership in technology.”

In recent times, Cooksey also contributed to the Justice Department’s initiative in establishing the Division for National Fraud Enforcement. Last month, Vance announced the creation of an assistant attorney general position focused on fraud investigations, an initiative spurred by ongoing inquiries into alleged welfare funds misuse in Minnesota. President Trump recently put forward federal prosecutor Colin McDonald as a nominee for this position.

Additionally, Cooksey was engaged in the previous year’s negotiations between the United States and the United Kingdom regarding the UK’s request for access to encrypted data from Apple users. This demand was retracted by British officials following strong resistance from U.S. authorities.

In a statement released on Thursday, Cooksey remarked, “It has been an honor to serve in the greatest presidential administration of my lifetime. President Trump and Vice President Vance are delivering every day on their massive electoral mandate to bring prosperity, security, and strength to America, and I look forward to supporting those efforts from this new role.”

Henry J. Gomez serves as a senior national political reporter for NBC News, providing in-depth coverage of current political events.