Janet Gardner Mullins Grissom (September 7, 1949 – April 29, 2023) was an American lobbyist who worked in the
United States Department of State, was U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's first Chief of Staff, and in the
White House under
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
.
Early life and education
Janet G. Mullins was born in
Louisville, Kentucky, on September 7, 1949.
[Press release announcing Mullins' appointment as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs in 1992.](_blank)
/ref> She was educated at the University of Louisville, receiving a B.A. in political science. She later studied international economics at American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
, but did not complete another degree.
Political career
Mullins moved to Washington, D.C. in 1979, becoming legislative director A legislative assistant (LA) or legislative analyst is a person who works for a legislator as a legislative staffer, a government agency as a legislative affairs professional, or in the government relations and regulatory affairs industry by monitor ...
and chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
for Sen.
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "th ...
Bob Packwood ( R– OR). She held this job until 1982.
Mullins returned to Kentucky in 1982 and worked in Kentucky state government as special assistant to Kentucky's Deputy Secretary of Commerce; Mullins specialized in international trade and agricultural trade.
During the 1984 Senate election, Mullins was the campaign manager
{{Political campaigning
A campaign manager, campaign chairman, or campaign director is a paid or volunteer individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote ( ...
for Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
in his successful bid to unseat incumbent Senator Walter Huddleston
Walter Darlington "Dee" Huddleston (April 15, 1926 – October 16, 2018) was an American politician. He was a Democrat from Kentucky who represented the state in the United States Senate from 1973 until 1985. Huddleston lost his 1984 Senate ...
as U.S. Senator from Kentucky. Mullins went on to serve as Senator McConnell's chief of staff from 1985 to 1987. As such, Mullins became the first woman to serve as Chief of Staff to two different United States Senators.
In 1987, Mullins became executive director of the Fund for America's Future, Vice President George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
's political action committee. In September 1987, she joined Bush's presidential campaign. She was Bush's national field director during the 1988 Republican primaries, and during the general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
was his deputy national political director and media director.
George H. W. Bush administration
After Bush became President of the United States, he nominated Mullins as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs and Mullins subsequently held this office from March 2, 1989, until August 23, 1992. At the United States Department of State, Mullins worked with Bush's 1988 campaign manager James Baker, who became United States Secretary of State in 1989.
In April 1992, media reported that Mullins, a divorced single mother, had been romantically linked with Sen. George J. Mitchell ( D– ME).
On August 24, 1992, Bush named Baker as White House Chief of Staff and Mullins moved with Baker to the White House, becoming Assistant to the President
The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The EOP consists of several offices and agenci ...
for Political Affairs. Baker and Mullins' time at the White House was to generate controversy when it was alleged that COS Baker instructed Mullins to search official records regarding Bill Clinton's rumored attempts to avoid the draft. These wrongs purportedly occurred during the 1992 presidential campaign, in violation of U.S. privacy laws.[Ronald J. Ostrow, "Justice Dept. Links Bush Aide to Passport Hunt", ''Los Angeles Times'', December 22, 1992.](_blank)
/ref> (These searches were conducted after the White House received FOIA requests from several news organizations seeking information about Clinton's military service.) On December 10, 1992, United States Attorney General William Barr asked for the appointment of an independent counsel to study the allegations that Mullins violated the law in directing this search, and then misled officials from the United States Department of Justice about conducting the search. Barr appointed Joseph diGenova
Joseph diGenova (born February 22, 1945) is an American lawyer and political commentator who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1983 to 1988. He and his wife, Victoria Toensing, are partners in the Washingto ...
as independent counsel; diGenova in turn appointed Michael Zeldin as deputy independent counsel, and Zeldin would take over as independent counsel in 1995. When diGenova issued his final report in 1995, after an exhaustive 4-year investigation, he exonerated Mullins, and wrote a public apology to Mullins, which he released in a press conference, for an investigation that had no merit from its inception. Mullins later received reimbursement for much of the legal fees she incurred in the course of the investigation, as the investigation resulted in her exoneration by the Special Counsel who stated unequivocally that the investigation "should never have occurred in the first place".
Lobbying career
In 1995, Ford Motor Company chief executive officer Alex Trotman
Alexander James Trotman, Baron Trotman (22 July 1933 – 25 April 2005) was a British-born businessman who served as the CEO of Ford Motor Company from 1993 to 1998. Trotman was the first foreign-born chairman and CEO of a Big Three Americ ...
recruited Mullins as Ford's vice president for Washington Affairs, the company's Top Lobbyist. She was the second woman to become a corporate officer of Ford in the ninety-plus year history of Ford Motor Company. On May 27, 2000, Janet Mullins married Thomas L. Grissom of Louisville, Kentucky, becoming known as Janet Mullins Grissom. During the 2000 Firestone and Ford tire controversy, Grissom briefed members of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the controversy.
During her time with Ford, Grissom at one point chaired the executive committee of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. She also served on the Board of Directors of the International Republican Institute and the American Council of Young Political Leaders and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
, the Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...
, and the Federal City Council.
Grissom retired from Ford in 2004 and in 2005 joined the lobbying firm of Peck, Madigan, Jones & Stewart. Possibly her most high-profile appearance since that time came in 2007 when she represented Mattel during the United States House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection's hearing on the 2007 Chinese export recalls
In 2007 a series of product recalls and import bans were imposed by the product safety institutions of the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand against products manufactured in and exported from the mainland of the Peo ...
.
Death
Grissom died on April 29, 2023, at the age of 73.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grissom, Janet Mullins
1949 births
2023 deaths
American lobbyists
American University alumni
George H. W. Bush administration personnel
International Republican Institute
Kentucky Republicans
People from Louisville, Kentucky
Political chiefs of staff
United States Assistant Secretaries of State
University of Louisville alumni