John David Podesta Jr., born January 8, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois, is an American political consultant and attorney. He held senior White House roles under Presidents Clinton and Obama and later advised President Biden on climate and clean energy policy.
Podesta has advocated since at least 2002 for public release of classified U.S. government records on unidentified flying objects and unidentified aerial phenomena, including through public statements and a book foreword.
- White House Chief of Staff, 1998–2001.
- Counselor to the President, 2014–2015.
- Senior Advisor for Clean Energy, 2022–2025, and International Climate Policy, 2024–2025.
- Called for UFO record declassification at 2002 National Press Club event.
- Wrote 2010 foreword to Leslie Kean UFO book and tweeted in 2015 about failure to secure disclosure.
- United StatesBorn and lifelong resident
- White HouseChief of Staff 1998–2001; Counselor 2014–2015
- Center for American ProgressFounder 2003; Chair and Counselor since 2011
- U.S. SenateJudiciary and Agriculture Committee staff roles 1979–1988
- Georgetown University Law CenterJ.D. 1976; Visiting Professor of Law
- Democratic PartyLongtime strategist and campaign chairman
Background
John David Podesta Jr. was born on January 8, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Lane Tech High School in 1967, earned a B.A. from Knox College in 1971, and received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976. After law school he worked as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice Honors Program from 1976 to 1977 and as a special assistant at the federal volunteer agency ACTION from 1978 to 1979.
Podesta began his Capitol Hill career as counsel on the majority staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1979 to 1981. He later served as chief minority counsel for several Judiciary subcommittees and as chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture from 1987 to 1988. From 1995 to 1996 he worked as counselor to Senate Democratic Leader Thomas Daschle.
In the Clinton White House, Podesta served as staff secretary from 1993 to 1995. He returned as deputy chief of staff for operations in 1997 and became the 20th White House chief of staff on October 20, 1998, serving until January 20, 2001. During this period he supported executive orders expanding declassification of older government records.
After leaving the Clinton administration, Podesta founded the Center for American Progress in 2003 and served as its president until 2011. He co-chaired the Obama-Biden transition team in 2008 and later became counselor to President Obama from January 2014 to February 2015, focusing on climate and energy policy.
Podesta chaired Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. He returned to the Biden administration in 2022 as senior advisor for clean energy innovation and implementation, overseeing disbursement of Inflation Reduction Act funds. From 2024 to 2025 he served as senior advisor for international climate policy, succeeding John Kerry.
Podesta first publicly addressed UFO transparency in October 2002 at a National Press Club press conference organized by the Coalition for Freedom of Information. He called for declassification of records more than 25 years old so scientists could examine the phenomenon. He repeated similar calls in subsequent years.
In 2010 Podesta wrote the foreword to journalist Leslie Kean's book on UFO encounters. He described himself as a curious skeptic and stated that the time to pull the curtain back on the subject was long overdue. The American people, he wrote, want to know and can handle the truth.
On February 13, 2015, his final day as Obama counselor, Podesta tweeted that his biggest failure of 2014 was once again not securing disclosure of the UFO files. He has also supported Freedom of Information Act requests for related government documents during and after his White House service.
Podesta's advocacy has included private discussions with figures such as NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell. His emails released in the 2016 WikiLeaks publication showed ongoing correspondence on the topic. No verified evidence indicates he accessed or disclosed classified UAP program details beyond his public calls for transparency.
Where They Are Now
As of October 25, 2026, John Podesta, age 77, remains chair and counselor at the Center for American Progress, a position he has held since 2011. He continues to serve as a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.
Podesta's most recent government service ended in January 2025 with the conclusion of the Biden administration. He maintains an active role in Democratic policy circles focused on climate and progressive issues.
Last updated 25 October 2026