1981 to 1984. From 1984 to 1987 he was counsel for the House committees on intelligence and foreign affairs. He served as a staff attorney on for congressional committees investigating the Iran–Contra affair as an assistant to Congressman Bill Broomfield (R-MI). Books and news articles have said that he was one of the principal authors of a controversial minority report issued at the conclusion of the joint committee's investigation, which "defended President Reagan by claiming it was 'unconstitutional for Congress to pass laws intruding' on the 'commander in chief.'" but in his opening remarks as he testified under subpoena before the House Judiciary Committee, Addington said that he had left the committee's service before the minority report was written and had no role in it. Addington was also a special assistant for legislative affairs to President Ronald Reagan for one year in 1987, before becoming Reagan's deputy assistant. From 1989 to 1992, Addington served as special assistant to Cheney, who was then the secretary of defense, before being appointed by President George H. W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate as the Department of Defense's general counsel in 1992. In 1993 and 1994, Addington was the Republican staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee. In 1994 and 1995, he headed a political action committee, the Alliance for American Leadership, set up to support Republican candidates for public office, with a principal focus on being a Presidential exploratory committee for Cheney, as the former Defense Secretary contemplated running for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination. From 1995 to 2001, he worked in private practice, for law firms Baker Donelson and Holland & Knight, and the American Trucking Associations. He also provided extensive assistance to Dick Cheney when the latter was chief executive officer of Halliburton and was in charge of vetting potential presidential running mates for the George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign, before he was officially his party's nominee for the White House and surprised many political observers by choosing Cheney himself to be his running mate. Bush administration As counsel to the vice president, Addington's duties involved protecting the legal interests of the Office of the Vice President. Although limited duties have been given under the Constitution, each vice president has a role in association with the president. As chief of staff, Addington supervised the vice president's staff. In both roles, Addington also provided advice to the White House staff,