Dan Goldman Bio
Daniel Sachs Goldman (born February 26, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the U.S. representative for New York’s 10th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for serving as the lead majority counsel in the first House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and as lead counsel to the House Managers during Trump’s 2019 Senate impeachment trial. Before entering Congress, Goldman built a career as a federal prosecutor, legal analyst, and constitutional law adviser in Washington and New York.
Early Life and Background
Daniel Sachs Goldman was born in Washington, D.C., to Susan Sachs Goldman and Richard W. Goldman. His father was a federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia who died when Daniel was still a child. Goldman grew up in a Conservative Jewish family alongside his younger brother Bill Goldman, who later died at age 38 in a plane crash in Sonoma, California, and his sister Alice Reiter. Through his paternal grandparents, Rhoda Haas Goldman and Richard Goldman, he is a great-grandson of Walter A. Haas, former president of Levi Strauss & Co., and a great-great-grandson of Abraham Haas, founder of the Smart & Final food store chain. As a result, Daniel Goldman is an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune and is the first cousin once removed of San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie.
Goldman attended Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., where his mother previously served as chair of the board. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Yale University in 1998. Before law school, he worked as an Olympics researcher and a writer for NBC Sports. In 2005, he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree with distinction from Stanford Law School.
Path to US Politics
After law school, Goldman clerked for Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and Judge Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. From 2007 to 2017, he served as an assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of New York under then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, handling Russian organized crime cases, Genovese crime family prosecutions, securities fraud, and other white-collar matters. His most high-profile victory came in 2017 as lead prosecutor in the insider trading case against sports bettor Billy Walters.
After leaving the Southern District, Goldman became a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York. In February 2019, he was hired as Senior Advisor and Director of Investigations for the House Intelligence Committee, where he led the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and questioned witnesses during the committee’s public hearings. His work in that role established him as a national figure in Democratic legal circles and laid the groundwork for his eventual run for Congress.
Dan Goldman Career
Early Career (2007-2017)
Goldman’s early professional years were defined by his work in the Southern District of New York. As an assistant U.S. attorney, he prosecuted a range of organized crime and white-collar cases, including members of the Genovese crime family such as Fotios Geas, who had been involved in the prison murder of Whitey Bulger. His decade of federal prosecution gave him a reputation for handling complex financial and racketeering cases.
In 2017, Goldman secured one of his most notable courtroom wins when he served as lead prosecutor in the insider trading trial of Billy Walters, a prominent sports bettor. The conviction was widely reported and helped establish Goldman as a recognizable name in legal media. He then transitioned from the courtroom to television, joining NBC News and MSNBC as a legal analyst while also working as a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York.
Breakthrough (2019-2022)
Goldman’s national profile rose sharply in February 2019 when he was hired as Senior Advisor and Director of Investigations for the House Intelligence Committee. In that role, he became the lead majority counsel for the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, questioning witnesses during the committee’s televised hearings and providing testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on December 9, 2019. He also served as lead counsel to the House Managers during Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
On November 16, 2021, Goldman entered the political arena directly by announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for New York State Attorney General. When incumbent Letitia James decided to seek reelection rather than run for governor in December 2021, Goldman withdrew from the race and endorsed James, turning his attention to a congressional bid.
On June 1, 2022, Goldman announced his candidacy for the U.S. House seat in New York’s 10th congressional district. The race was crowded, with Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, incumbent congressman Mondaire Jones, and former congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman among the contenders. Goldman raised more than $1.2 million from over 2,100 individual contributions in the first month and ultimately contributed more than $4 million of his own money to the campaign. He earned endorsements from The New York Times, former U.S. representative Steve Israel, and former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, and narrowly won the Democratic primary with 25.8 percent of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Benine Hamdan with 83.9 percent of the vote.
Democratic Era (2023-Present)
Goldman took office in January 2023 and quickly became an active member of the House. On January 10, 2023, he and Representative Ritchie Torres delivered an ethics complaint against Representative George Santos. In his first year, he introduced seven bills, including the Early Voting Act, the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center Act, the Strengthening Medicaid for Serious Mental Illness Act, the Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act of 2023, the Disarming Cartels Act, the Codifying SAVE Plan Act, and the GRADUATE Act.
Goldman has been a member of the Vote Blue Coalition, a progressive federal political action committee focused on supporting Democratic candidates in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He has supported public-private partnerships to address housing affordability in New York City, fully fund NYCHA, and channel federal dollars toward private firms that manage NYCHA-owned properties. He has also supported a public option in healthcare, the principles of a Green New Deal, and the Equality Act, while opposing expanding the U.S. Supreme Court and supporting term limits for justices.
In foreign policy, Goldman has supported continued U.S. aid to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, opposed a 2024 amendment to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would have required warrants, and supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He voted to support Israel following the October 7, 2023 attacks and signed a 2024 open letter expressing disgust at South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice charging Israel with genocide in Gaza. According to Track AIPAC, he has received more than $1.5 million in donations from AIPAC-affiliated groups.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Goldman’s political career came in early 2023 when he and Representative Ritchie Torres filed an ethics complaint against Representative George Santos, who later became one of the most prominent scandals in recent House history. His work as lead counsel during the first impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, followed by a competitive congressional primary victory in New York’s 10th district, marked his transition from national legal figure to elected policymaker.
Dan Goldman Career Wins
Dan Goldman’s most prominent courtroom and political victories include his 2017 conviction of sports bettor Billy Walters on insider trading charges, his role as lead counsel in the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, and his 2022 general election win in New York’s 10th congressional district, where he captured 83.9 percent of the vote against Republican nominee Benine Hamdan. He also successfully won a competitive Democratic primary in 2022 despite entering the race as a relative newcomer to elective politics.
Congressional Highlights
Since taking office in January 2023, Goldman has introduced seven bills in his first year in Congress and has been a vocal presence on oversight and ethics matters, including the high-profile George Santos complaint. He has also been a leading voice in progressive Jewish advocacy and on issues tied to affordable housing, healthcare access, and democratic reform.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond his impeachment work and congressional tenure, Goldman has earned recognition for his decade of service as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, his media work as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and his fellowship at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York.
Dan Goldman Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Goldman was raised in a Conservative Jewish family in Washington, D.C., by his mother Susan Sachs Goldman, a former chair of the board at Sidwell Friends School, and his father Richard W. Goldman, a federal prosecutor who died when Daniel was a child. He is descended from Levi Strauss & Co. leadership through his great-grandfather Walter A. Haas, the company’s former president, and is the first cousin once removed of San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie. His younger brother Bill Goldman died at age 38 in a plane crash in Sonoma, California, and his sister is Alice Reiter.
Personal Life
Goldman has been married twice. In 2002, he married Olympic diver and lawyer Anne Montminy, who is from Montreal, and the couple divorced in 2008 after having two children. In 2013, he married Corinne Levy Goldman, and the couple later had three children. The pair met at an AIPAC event in 2012. According to financial disclosure forms, Goldman is among the wealthiest members of Congress, with an estimated personal net worth of up to $253 million.