Jeh Johnson

Jeh Charles "Jay" Johnson (; born September 11, 1957) is an American lawyer and former government official who served as the 4th United States secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2017. From 2009 to 2012, Johnson was the general counsel of the Department of Defense during the first years of the Obama administration. Before joining the Obama administration, he was a federal prosecutor, the general counsel of the Department of the Air Force, and an attorney in private practice. Johnson is currently co-chair of the board of trustees of Columbia University, a member of the board of directors of MetLife and the September 11 Memorial & Museum, and a former board member of Lockheed Martin, U.S. Steel, PG&E, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Johnson is also currently a semi-regular commentator on NBC's Meet The Press, MS NOW, CNN, and other networks. In June 2025, Johnson retired from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, the law firm he had been affiliated with in private law practice off and on for over 40 years.