Meet Attorney General Barr's 'right hand': Kerri Kupec on her journey to the Justice Department

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"The Operators" is a series profiling influential political aides on Capitol Hill, in the White House and on closely watched political campaigns about the behind-the-scenes work they do.

Attorney General William Barr calls her his "right hand," and her colleagues describe her as an "integral" and "talented" leader in the Justice Department.

Kerri Kupec has been the director of DOJ Public Affairs since December 2018, and also serves as counselor to the attorney general — she’s the first to hold both positions simultaneously.

It was her father who instilled in her a love for politics. Growing up in Long Island, N.Y., Kupec said her father would talk to her about the news of the day at dinner each night.

"We would discuss as if I was an adult," she said. "Politics became 'our thing.'"

But at the beginning of her last semester of law school, Kupec’s father was diagnosed with ALS — Lou Gehrig’s disease. Several years later, just before Kupec moved to Washington, D.C. to begin her career in politics, he lost his battle.

"He never saw any of it," Kupec said, referring to her career. "But I was only able to do it because of what he had instilled, taught, and inspired me throughout my life."

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Kupec called her father her biggest inspiration, and said she considers "his life and relationship with me one of my life’s greatest gifts."

"He was the best person I have ever known," she said. "He was a dad’s dad — a mentor and father-figure to many — wise and insightful, deeply unselfish, kind and committed to doing the right thing no matter what the cost."

Kupec, who played volleyball, basketball, and softball all through high school, said her father and her mother were her "biggest fans."

"If I was interested in pursuing something, they would find a way to help me do it," Kupec said.

"I remember going through a rough stretch of circumstances and questioning my relationship with God and what it all meant," Kupec said. "My father said he didn’t have all the answers, but said simply, ‘You’re either going to walk through life with God or you’re not.’"

"It was one of those rare times where it was actually that simple," she said.

"He was also my confidante," Kupec said. "He would always tell you the truth, but with love, compassion, and uncanny insight."

Like father, like daughter.

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Attorney General Barr described Kupec in a similar fashion in an interview with Fox News.

"The very first time I met her, I was down in a conference room in the Department and I was the nominee preparing for my confirmation hearings," Barr told Fox News, noting that someone brought Kupec into the room to introduce her for a communications role.

"There was a discussion of certain communications strategy points, and I was pretty assertive in taking a particular position, and she pushed back, but in a very pleasant way," Barr told Fox News. "A lot of people, especially meeting for the first time someone who might be their boss, may be a little inhibited, but in a very pleasant, and respectful way, she challenged my thinking. I sat there thinking about it, and thought, she was right."

"I thought, that is the kind of person I need around me," Barr said, recalling their first meeting. "Someone who is willing to speak up, and persuade you in a very collegial way — that’s why I first really wanted her to be part of the team, and she hasn’t disappointed."

"I could not have functioned as attorney general without Kerri," Barr said, adding that she was "the best public affairs person" he has "ever worked with."

Barr told Fox News that not only does Kupec have a "tremendous strategic sense," but said she "knows how to get the message out."

"She is a good lawyer, so she understands the substance of the business here," Barr said. "I don’t think I could have functioned without her high-level of performance and the support she’s given me."

"I’d be lost without her," he said.

Despite the daily challenges at the Justice Department, Barr said Kupec always handled herself with "a lot of poise" — and her colleagues agree.

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"Kerri is a total professional and she has handled, what I think is, one of the most difficult, pressure-filled jobs in Washington with real grace under pressure," Wyn Hornbuckle, a senior career public affairs official for the Justice Department told Fox News.

Another senior career official at DOJ told Fox News that Kupec, a political appointee, has treated both career and political staff alike, and has been "a good, fair, and encouraging manager."

The official said that Kupec "doesn’t care who gets the credit, so long as the department is well-served."

"Because she is such a good lawyer and because she is so focused on accuracy, she really has tremendous credibility internally," Barr’s former chief of staff Will Levi told Fox News, adding that she "brought so many skills and tools to the table," and that "anyone would want her involved in every important decision."

"And so, she was," Levi said.

Before joining the Justice Department, Kupec clerked for a state appellate judge in Virginia, and then went on to work at Alliance Defending Freedom — a conservative non-profit law firm, and Supreme Court "powerhouse," where she served as communications director and legal counsel for several years.

"Working at ADF is where I cut my teeth on learning how to communicate on sensitive legal and political issues that were at the center of national discussion and of high sensitivity to people on all sides of the issues," Kupec told Fox News. "My philosophy in communication in the court of public opinion has always been to obviously be persuasive, accurate, and compelling, but most importantly, find ways to present people with the information they need to draw their own conclusions."

She added: "You have to give them that chance."

In 2018, Kupec joined the Justice Department as a spokesperson and shortly thereafter moved over to the White House to be a spokesperson for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.

"Working on the confirmation process was an opportunity of a lifetime," Kupec said. "Getting to know Brett Kavanaugh and seeing what a decent, kind, brilliant man and lawyer he was and is."

Kupec said Kavanaugh’s confirmation process was a "disgrace," but said "thankfully — and rightfully — had a happy ending."

"To be in the center of it all on the communications side was often surreal," Kupec said. "The party at the White House celebrating his confirmation was such a joy-filled event — Justice Thomas was the life of the party."

"It was a night I will never forget," she said.

By the time she was appointed to run the Office of Public Affairs at DOJ, Kupec said she was "honored," but "pretty sober-minded about it."

"I felt the Department was about to enter a particularly tumultuous time during a critical time in our country," Kupec said. "And I wanted to help if I could."

Kupec took the helm in December 2018 — in the middle of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

Kupec and Justice Department beat reporters at the DOJ on the day the Mueller report was made public.

Since taking over the Office of Public Affairs, the Justice Department under President Trump has seen an ending to one special counsel investigation — Mueller’s — and a beginning to another, with Barr tapping John Durham, the U.S. attorney from Connecticut, to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. Barr, earlier this month, announced he had appointed Durham special counsel, in an effort to ensure that investigation could continue through the next administration.

Kupec’s tenure at the DOJ also came amid President Trump’s impeachment proceedings, civil unrest in cities across the country, the coronavirus pandemic and more.

During her time at the Justice Department, Democrats have slammed Barr for "politicizing" the department.

Kupec, though, said: "I consider the sources and roll my eyes."

"I personally watched the Attorney General make tough decisions, day after day, often at great personal cost, to do the opposite: de-politicize and de-weaponize the Department of Justice," Kupec said. "Restoring a one-tier system of justice is messy and challenging, and his steadfast commitment to doing just that was an inspiration and model of courage I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

As for her relationship with Barr, she told Fox News that the two of them had "an automatic connection."

"We’re both New Yorkers," Kupec said. "Working closely with Attorney General Barr has been the highlight of my professional career."

Kupec touted Barr as being a "rare combination of a brilliant mind, common-sense, and street savvy. He’s down-to-earth, a lot of fun and very funny."

"My favorite part of working with him was strategizing and brainstorming on how to deal with the constant barrage of challenges and crises," she said.

Meanwhile, young women within the Justice Department consider Kupec to be their mentor.

"She’s always challenging us to think outside the box, go after our greatest goals and biggest dreams," one colleague and mentee told Fox News. "And she empowers us with the confidence to do that because she leads by example. We’ve watched her set her sights on something she wants to achieve — and simply make it happen, no matter the obstacle, with tenacity."

Another told Fox News that Kupec "empowers us to achieve our goals that we otherwise thought impossible."

"As a young woman working in Washington, it’s rare to have mentors like Kerri," another mentee and colleague told Fox News. "She’s not just a ‘boss,’ but a mentor and genuine friend."

As for other young women who aspire to enter the world of politics and government, Kupec stressed the importance of finding a "good boss who has a reputation for being good at what they do and good to their people."

"The job you’ll have working for them is almost irrelevant because of the leadership experience you’ll gain in addition to having a mentor and advocate for life," she said.

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Another piece of advice, she said, is "in your personal and professional life, actively seek to make stars of others."

"Washington, D.C. is an exciting place. It also can be filled with temptation and shortcuts," Kupec said. "Work as hard to preserve your reputation as you do at everything else. Be honest, be a straight-shooter. It may appear that people who are not operating that way are ‘getting ahead faster,’ but without fail, they flame out."

She added: "It usually takes longer doing things the right way, but you can’t put a pricetag on a good reputation. So much of your success and staying power depends on it."

And finally, she said, "Persevere, persevere, and persevere."

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"Due to many unexpected twists and turns, my path to DC took many years. There were far more lows than highs during that period, some tragic," she explained. "During this time, I questioned my calling, I questioned God."

"But seeing where I am now, I am so thankful I did not give up. But most importantly, how thankful I am that God wouldn’t let me give up – and didn’t give up on me," Kupec said.  "Winston Churchill said it best:  ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’"

Wednesday is Kupec's last day at the Justice Department. As for what's next, she says she hopes to "take a break." 

"I haven't paused in about a decade, and I'm looking forward to taking some time off and thinking about the next steps," she said. "I admit, as crazy as it sounds, I've become a bit addicted to crises, so I suspect it's going to be a bit of an adjustment coming down from that." 

She added: "But I'm looking forward to the road ahead and whatever it holds."