By Andrew Goudsward

White House counsel Stuart Delery, President Joe Biden's top lawyer, plans to leave his post next month, the White House said on Thursday, adding no replacement had yet been named.

Delery, who has been in the job since July 2022, advised the president on advancing his legislative agenda and defending against Republican-led congressional investigations.

Biden in a statement called Delery a “trusted adviser and a constant source of innovative legal thinking.”

Delery’s departure comes as U.S. House Republicans escalate probes into the business dealings of Biden’s son Hunter and some right-wing lawmakers push for an impeachment investigation into the president.

The White House counsel’s office has been managing investigative demands from Republican-led committees. The White House has dismissed allegations of financial impropriety by Biden as “conspiracy theories.”

Delery, a former senior Justice Department official during the Obama administration, joined Biden’s White House transition team in 2020. He served as deputy White House counsel before assuming the top White House legal role when Dana Remus stepped down last year.

He is the first openly gay person to serve as White House counsel. Delery worked at law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher prior to the White House.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)