Matthew B. Klapper

Matthew B. Klapper serves as Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. Mr. Klapper supervises the work of the Attorney General’s office, leads priority initiatives for the Attorney General, assists in the management of the Department’s 115,000-strong workforce, participates in a wide range of the Department’s civil, criminal, and national security matters, and provides advice on legal, policy, legislative, communications, and operational issues to his colleagues on the Department’s senior leadership team.

Mr. Klapper was appointed as Chief of Staff on January 20, 2021, under Acting Attorney General Robert “Monty” Wilkinson, and led the Senate confirmation process for Attorney General Merrick B. Garland before becoming his chief of staff. Mr. Klapper is among the longest serving chiefs of staff in Department history, and was promoted to Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General in June of 2022, and to Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Attorney General in March of 2024.

Prior to his work with the Department, Mr. Klapper served in various public service roles, including as a chief of staff in the United States Senate, the chief policy advisor for the City of Newark, N.J., and as both a career and volunteer firefighter/EMT.

Mr. Klapper holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Yale Law School.