Robert Barnett, influential DC lawyer, dies at 79
Robert Barnett, a Washington, D.C. attorney known for brokering blockbuster book and media deals for presidents, politicians and journalists, has died at 79. According to Fox News and a Williams & Connolly partner, Barnett died Thursday night at Sibley Memorial Hospital of an undisclosed illness; his clients included Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Edward M. Kennedy, Dick Cheney and Mitch McConnell. He was famed for negotiating Bill Clinton’s 2004 memoir contract and for serving as a cross‑partisan legal adviser in publishing and entertainment.
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Robert Barnett, influential DC lawyer to politicians and journalists, dies at 79
New information:
- Robert Barnett, age 79, died Thursday night at Sibley Memorial Hospital (cause described as an 'undisclosed illness').
- Barnett represented high‑profile clients across the political spectrum, including Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Edward M. Kennedy, Dick Cheney and Mitch McConnell.
- He negotiated major publishing contracts such as Bill Clinton’s 2004 memoir 'My Life' and multiple Hillary Clinton book and media deals; survived by his wife Rita Braver.