Brian Darling (born 1965) is an American lawyer, who is the president and founder of the firm Liberty Government Affairs. He was Senior Communications Director and Counsel for Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and a former senior fellow in government studies at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C. Darling has been involved in U.S. politics since the early 1990s, in roles as a congressional aide, lobbyist and legal counsel. Darling resigned as legal counsel to Republican Senator Mel Martinez of Florida after admitting he was the author of the Schiavo memo.
Early life and education
Darling was born and grew up in Andover, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he launched a conservative student publication, The Minuteman, with fellow student Tony Rudy. Darling received his Juris Doctor degree from the New England School of Law.
Career
Darling joined the U.S. Congress as an aide to Idaho Senator Steve Symms in 1992. The following year, Darling worked for Georgia Senator Paul Coverdell.
In 2003, Darling became a partner in the Alexander Strategy Group lobbying firm, where he advocated for gun rights and other issues. He was a chief strategist for Senate legislation permitting airline pilots to carry handguns on the job. and one on the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.
Darling was also a frequent spokesman for Heritage on Fox, Fox Business, MSNBC, and CNN. While at The Heritage Foundation, Darling had a regular column at Human Events.
After his time at Heritage, he wrote for The Observer. From 2012 to 2015, Darling served as both Counsel and Sr. Communications Director for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). In 2017, Darling founded the government relations firm Liberty Government Affairs to conduct public relations, lobbying, and outreach to the liberty movement.
Schiavo memo
The Schiavo memo was a talking points memorandum on behalf of the Republican party, which described the ongoing Terri Schiavo case as "a great political issue" that could appeal to the party's base.
Senator Martinez, who claimed not to have read the memo, had inadvertently passed it to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a Democratic supporter of the legislation to keep Schiavo alive. National media outlets began reporting the existence of the memo shortly thereafter on March 18, 2005.