James A. Baker (government attorney)

James A. Baker is an American government official at the Department of Justice, serving as General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also teaches at Harvard Law School.

James A. Baker is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received a J.D. and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Mr. Baker has taught National Security Law at Harvard University Law School since 2009.

He joined the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor during the Clinton administration. In 1996 he joined Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR). This government agency handles all Justice Department requests for surveillance authorizations under the terms of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, advises the Attorney General and all major intelligence-gathering agencies on legal issues relating to national security and surveillance, and "coordinates" the views of the intelligence community regarding intelligence legislation. Baker has often testified before Congress on behalf of Clinton and Bush administration intelligence policies, including defending The Patriot Act before the House Judiciary Committee.