Tony Rudy - Background

Background

Tony C. Rudy attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the late 1980s, a conservative student leader with fellow student Brian Darling, who also later became a prominent Congressional aide embroiled in controversy. Rudy worked on Capitol Hill for eight years, first for California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who had a reputation as one of the most libertarian Republicans in Congress, before leaving to attend law school. Rudy then went on to work for more than five years in DeLay's office.

While working for Rohrabacher, Rudy met his future wife, Lisa, who was also employed as a staffer in Rohrabacher's office. The couple would marry in August 1995.

During his time working for DeLay, who was known as a conservative Republican, in contrast to the often libertarian-leaning Rohrabacher, Rudy served as press secretary, policy director, and finally deputy chief of staff, while DeLay progressed within the Republican Congressional leadership from congressman to Majority Whip to Majority Leader. DeLay lauded Rudy in a Congressional floor speech on December 15, 2000, just before Rudy left to work with Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig, a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm.

Rudy originally came to Washington, D.C. to work for conservative and libertarian groups. He quickly immersed himself in Republican party politics, before leaving Capitol Hill to attend law school at George Mason University, in nearby Arlington, Virginia, between 1992 and 1995. At GMU, he served as head of the Federalist Society. He would later win the 2nd Year Student Moot Court Championship, which was a type of law school debate competition between various two-member teams. After graduating from law school and passing the Virginia bar, Rudy was hired by DeLay, after being recommended by Rohrabacher.