Kenneth Thomas 'Cooch' Cuccinelli II (born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and Republican politician. He earned a law degree and a master's degree in international relations from George Mason University, after which he volunteered in political campaigns and for the Arlington County Republican Party. Cuccinelli was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2002, serving until 2009, and then as Attorney General of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. During his tenure as AG, he controversially issued a civil investigative demand to the University of Virginia seeking documents from climate scientist Michael Mann related to his work on climate change. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2013. From 2019 to 2021, under the Trump administration, Cuccinelli held senior roles at the Department of Homeland Security, including principal deputy and acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary. His appointment to acting USCIS director was challenged in court (L.M.-M. v. Cuccinelli), with a ruling in 2020 questioning its compliance with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. During his DHS tenure, he reduced oversight requirements for the agency's intelligence arm, which then produced reports on journalists covering protests in Portland and communications among protesters on Telegram.