Farragut Partners Welcomes Richard Chalkey as Partner

May 7th, 2026

The Honorable Richard Chalkey joins Farragut Partners as Partner

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Farragut Partners is proud to announce today that the Honorable Richard Chalkey, a highly respected veteran of the White House and Capitol Hill, has joined the firm as a Partner. Chalkey joins as a veteran of both President Trump’s first and second administration, having served over 5 years within the 45 and 47 Trump White House. 

Most recently, Chalkey served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. During his recent tenure, Chalkey served as a primary liaison to Members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives and was part of the President’s legislative team that worked on the successful passage of President Trump’s historic tax, jobs and spending package, the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As part of the legislative team, Chalkey also worked on the historic legislative passages of the Recissions Act of 2025 and the GENIUS Act. Additionally in his role, Chalkey interfaced with component offices of the White House and Cabinet and sub-cabinet agency legislative teams as part of White House policy process developments, rollouts, and Congressional engagement strategy. 

In President Trump’s first Administration, Chalkey served in the West Wing as Associate Director of the National Economic Council (NEC), Associate Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), and as an acting OLA Internal Deputy Director. During his four full years at the White House, Chalkey was part of President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act team, and part of the passage of USMCA and the CARES Act. 

Chalkey has served under every White House Chief of Staff of President Trump and most recently under Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs James Blair, Assistant to the President and OLA Director James Braid and Deputy Assistant to the President and OLA House Deputy Director Jeff Freeland. In President Trump’s first Administration he served under former National Economic Council Directors: Gary Cohn and Larry Kudlow and former White House Office of Legislative Affairs Directors: Shahira Knight, Eric Ueland, and Amy Swonger. He also served on the Presidential Transition team for both of President Trump’s administrations.

 “It’s very rare to find someone who has served over 5 years in the White House. Chalkey is one of the best in Washington to understand how the White House works, how it interacts with Federal agencies, and its working relationship with Congress” said Jeff MacKinnon, Farragut Partners Co-founder and Partner. “In addition to his government experience, Richard has a business mindset. He is a Larry Kudlow and National Economic Council alum, who has worked in the private sector and for startups, with an MBA from University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He understands company needs and the nexus between business and government” added Jeff Mortier, Farragut Partners Co-founder and Partner.

"Rich is respected and understands both the business world and government. From his time in President Trump’s National Economic Council and White House Legislative Affairs he will bring immense value to all who work with him” said Larry Kudlow, former Director of the National Economic Council and current host of Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow”.

“I had the privilege of working alongside Richard Chalkey for two tours of duty at the White House. During both the 45 and 47 Administrations, Chalkey became a fixture in the hallways of the West Wing, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and the Capitol. Chalkey is equipped with a unique ability to build strong and lasting relationships with Members of Congress and Administration officials. He will do well in his new role” added Jeff Freeland, Deputy Assistant to the President and the House Lead Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs.

Additionally, Chalkey has served in roles in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, in addition to private sector roles at Deloitte, the Premium Cigar Association, and startup companies. 

“With over a decade of experience in Washington and within Trump World we are glad to proudly welcome Chalkey as our newest Partner of Farragut Partners. He will be a key asset in helping existing clients and new ones navigate the Administration” said the firm. 

Mr. Chalkey holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, a B.S. in Management and Marketing from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and studied as a U.S. State Department Gilman Scholar at the University of Hong Kong. He is a native of Streator, Illinois. 

Farragut Partners is a leading Washington, D.C. lobbying firm that was founded in 2016 by Jeff MacKinnon and Jeff Mortier.