Michael Dreeben helped beat back a challenge to the special counsel’s use of subpoenas to pry information from reluctant witnesses. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images legal Former Mueller counsel Michael Dreeben leaving top DOJ post Dreeben successfully fought off legal challenges to the special counsel's appointment in federal court.

Michael Dreeben, a longtime Justice Department lawyer who had a central role on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, is leaving the government in the coming weeks, a DOJ spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

The 30-year DOJ veteran had been on a sabbatical from his role as deputy solicitor general to work on the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. There, he successfully fought off legal challenges to Mueller’s appointment in federal court. He also helped beat back a challenge to the special counsel’s use of subpoenas to pry information from reluctant witnesses.


DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec confirmed Dreeben’s upcoming departure from the government, making him the latest member of Mueller’s team to move on from government work since the Russia probe was wrapped up earlier this spring.

Mueller’s last day on the government payroll came May 29, the same day he broke a nearly two-year public silence about his work. The special counsel’s office then formally closed.

So far, only a handful of former Mueller staffers have surfaced in new roles since finishing their Russia probe duties. Andrew Weissmann, one of the senior prosecutors on the special counsel’s team, returned to New York University’s law school as a senior fellow in May. Another top lawyer, Greg Andres, also landed back at his old job as a partner at the New York office of Davis Polk.

Dreeben declined comment when asked about his plans after he leaves the government. In the solicitor general’s office, Dreeben represented the United States more than 100 times before the Supreme Court, an accomplishment that Chief Justice John Roberts noted in May 2016 made him the “second person to reach that rare milestone this century.”

In a statement Wednesday, Solicitor General Noel Francisco praised Dreeben's career.

“On behalf of the Office of the Solicitor General, I thank Michael for his many years of service to the Department," he said. "We wish him the best of luck in the next chapter of his career."