Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011.

In addition to being a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One, Dodd is a close advisor to President Joe Biden and served on his vice presidential selection committee.

[7] He is the fifth of six children;[8] his eldest brother, Thomas J. Dodd Jr., is a professor emeritus of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, and served as the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Costa Rica under President Bill Clinton.

Dodd was part of the "Watergate class of '74," which CNN pundit David Gergen credited with bringing "a fresh burst of liberal energy to the Capitol.

[16] Dodd briefly considered running for president in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign and endorsed fellow Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.

He was also considered a possible candidate for replacing Daschle as Senate Minority Leader in the 109th Congress, but he declined, and that position was instead filled by Harry Reid.

Dodd maintained an office in Hartford, Connecticut, which was burglarized in 2007 by a man stealing property for subsequent sale to support his drug habit.

Dodd later said he was not interested in running for Vice President or Senate Majority Leader,[25] and endorsed former rival Barack Obama on February 26, 2008.

It is also an abuse of power... when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

[41] In his role as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Dodd proposed a program in June 2008 that would assist troubled sub-prime mortgage lenders such as Countrywide Financial in the wake of the United States housing bubble's collapse.

[45] At the same time, the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad and the head of Fannie Mae Jim Johnson received mortgages on favorable terms due to their association with Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.

The Select Committee on Ethics said it found "no credible evidence" that Dodd knowingly sought out a special loan or treatment because of his position, but the panel also said in an open letter to Dodd that the lawmaker should have questioned why he was being put in the "Friends of Angelo" VIP program at Countrywide: "Once you became aware that your loans were in fact being handled through a program with the name 'V.I.P.,' that should have raised red flags for you.

"[56] In early September, after the firms continued to report huge losses,[57] Secretary Paulson announced a federal takeover of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Dodd was the top recipient in Congress, followed by John Kerry, Barack Obama, then Hillary Clinton, of campaign funds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during 1989–2008.

[58] In February 2009, Kevin Rennie, a columnist at the Hartford Courant, ran an op-ed concerning Dodd's acquisition of his vacation home in Roundstone, Ireland.

[59] The article alleged that Dodd's former partner in buying the home had ties to disgraced Bear Stearns principal Edward Downe, Jr. who had since been convicted of insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[60] After paying an $11 million fine for his role in the scam, Downe later obtained a pardon in the waning days of the Bill Clinton administration.

[62][63] Rennie criticized Dodd for claiming the Roundstone home was worth less than $250,000 in Senate ethics filings; some observers estimated the likely value in excess of US$1 million.

[65] The Wall Street Journal later compared this issue to the ethical charges which led to the political demise of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.

[66] From the fall of 2008 through early 2009, the United States government spent nearly $170 billion to assist failing insurance giant American International Group.

The Fox Business Network's Rich Edson broke the story claiming Dodd was responsible for the inclusion of a clause limiting excessive executive pay in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

[67][68][69][70] On February 14, 2009, The Wall Street Journal published an article, Bankers Face Strict New Pay Cap, discussing a retroactive limit to bonus compensation inserted by Dodd into the stimulus bill that passed in the Senate.

However, Dodd's provision also included language allowing the Treasury Secretary to examine bonuses doled out and, if they were found to be in violation of the public interest, recoup those funds.

[79] At a press conference in Enfield, Connecticut, on March 20, 2017, Dodd responded to critics and explained that his original answer to CNN was based on a misunderstanding of the question.

[84] On May 3, 2009, the Courant reported Dodd's wife served on a number of corporate boards, including the CME Group and could be earning as much as $500,000 annually for those services.

[86] In 1985, Dodd and fellow Senator Ted Kennedy, were involved in an incident at a Washington restaurant, which a waitress reported allegations that the pair sexually assaulted her.

[87][88] According to an account in GQ magazine, Kennedy grabbed waitress Carla Gaviglio, and rubbed his genital area against hers, while pressing her against Dodd's lap.

[90] In late-April 2020, it was announced that Dodd was a member of the vetting committee for the selection of presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate.

[99] In May 2009, Dodd was the author and lead sponsor of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on May 22, 2009.

[102][103] In April 2009, the legislature overwhelmingly passed and Governor Jodi Rell signed a bill making all references to marriage in law gender neutral.