Peter Rechter

Peter advises corporations, executives, trade associations, and other institutions navigating congressional inquiries and government investigations that pose acute political and reputational risks. Drawing on his experience conducting investigations in Congress and responding to high-stakes oversight matters at the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Peter brings firsthand knowledge of the legal, political, and institutional dynamics that drive congressional investigations, helping clients anticipate risks and respond effectively.

Peter has extensive experience defending major institutions and high-profile individuals facing congressional scrutiny. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at HHS, Peter led the Department’s negotiations with Congress on all significant oversight matters and prepared senior officials to testify at challenging oversight hearings and transcribed interviews. In the White House Counsel’s Office, Peter advised White House officials on congressional oversight strategy and served as the primary oversight liaison to nearly a dozen federal agencies and Executive Office of the President components. Earlier in his career, Peter represented Fortune 200 companies and executives in high-stakes congressional engagements at an Am Law 100 firm.

Prior to joining Wiley, Peter also led investigations on four different congressional committees. Most recently, he served as Senior Counsel to the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where he directed the committee’s oversight, investigations, and nominations strategy. Peter also led high-profile investigations on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce and a House select investigative subcommittee examining the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Peter’s investigative work has been covered by The Washington Post, The New York Times, Reuters, Politico, and other national and global news outlets.   

Peter has successfully managed responses to hundreds of congressional oversight requests and counseled senior government officials, corporate executives, and other stakeholders on some of the most sensitive congressional oversight matters over the past decade.  

Representative Matters

• Advised a major U.S. sports organization in parallel House and Senate investigations into athlete safety.
• Represented a leading biopharmaceutical company across multiple House investigations into drug pricing and patient access issues.
• Counseled a technology company in a Senate investigation stemming from a significant data breach.
• Advised a Fortune 200 technology company on intellectual property and competition policy.
• Advised a multibillion-dollar pension trust fund on proposed legislation addressing the solvency of the multiemployer pension system.
• As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at HHS, managed the Department’s responses to a series of high-profile congressional investigations, including investigations regarding the origins of COVID-19.
• Prepared Cabinet, White House, and other senior officials for challenging congressional hearings, transcribed interviews, and briefings.
• Oversaw the vetting of dozens of Presidentially appointed nominees, including multiple Cabinet Secretaries, and served as the lead strategic advisor to the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee on all nominations matters.
• Led high-stakes transcribed interviews of senior government officials on a House select subcommittee charged with investigating the federal COVID-19 response.
• Counseled committee leadership on investigative strategy and procedure, including issuing document and deposition subpoenas, addressing privilege assertions, and engaging in the accommodation process.

Professional Experience

• U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (2025-2026)
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022-2023; 2024-2025)
• Associate Counsel, The White House, Office of White House Counsel (2023-2024)
• U.S. House of Representatives, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis (2021-2022)
• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce (2020-2021)
• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Small Business (2019-2020)
• Congressional Investigations, Political Law, and Public Policy Associate, Am Law 100 Firm (2017-2019)