Daniel Joseph Bartlett (born June 1, 1971) is an American political advisor who served as counselor to the president and communications director in the administration of George W. Bush. Early life and education Bartlett grew up in Rockwall, Texas and is a 1989 graduate of Rockwall High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Texas at Austin. Political career Bush gubernatorial staff (1990s) Bartlett worked on George W. Bush's first campaign for governor in 1994, when Bush unseated Ann W. Richards. He was appointed as deputy to the Policy Director in the Governor's office and was issues director for Bush's 1998 gubernatorial re-election campaign. Bush 2000 presidential campaign During the 2000 presidential campaign, Bartlett was the director of rapid response for the George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign. White House communications director (2001-2005) After Bush assumed office as president, he worked as a deputy to advisor Karen Hughes before being named White House communications director. Following the July 6, 2003, editorial by former ambassador Joseph Wilson, Bartlett (with Ari Fleischer) pushed reporters to pursue who in the CIA sent him to Niger, but stopped short of revealing that his wife worked for the agency. On September 1, 2004, Bartlett appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the second night of the 2004 Republican National Convention, where he discussed the convention and campaign. Counselor to the President (2005-2007) On January 5, 2005, the White House announced that Bartlett would assume the role of counselor to the president, which allows him to focus more broadly on strategic communication and the formulation of policy. He has also worked for Karl Rove's political consulting firm. On June 1, 2007, Bartlett announced his resignation as Counsel to the President. Post-resignation controversies At the end of 2007, during an interview after having left the White House, Bartlett implied some conservative bloggers, such as Hugh Hewitt, were unfiltered mouthpieces for the GOP and the Bush White House.I mean, talk about a direct IV into the vein of your support. It's a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we've cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on.In May 2008, Bartlett appeared on various media outlets casting aspersions on the contentions raised by Scott McClellan in his