Michael Chertoff

Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States secretary of homeland security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. He was the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. Chertoff previously was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, a federal prosecutor, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005.

Since leaving government service, he co-founded the Chertoff Group, a risk-management and security consulting company. He has also worked as senior of counsel at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling. He is also the chair and a member of the board of trustees at the international freedom watchdog Freedom House.