Sean Patrick Maloney (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2024 to 2025.

A member of the Democratic Party, Maloney ran for New York Attorney General in 2018, coming in third place to Letitia James in the primary.

Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and raised in Hanover, New Hampshire, Maloney earned his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia.

He entered politics as a volunteer for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and later served as his senior West Wing adviser and White House Staff Secretary.

[6] He then spent a year volunteering with Jesuit priests in the slums of Chimbote, Peru,[4][5] after which he returned to the U.S. and attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1992.

[5] In 1991, Maloney began working on Bill Clinton's first campaign for president as deputy to chief scheduler Susan Thomases.

In an article about the event, a newspaper noted that Maloney often called himself "the highest-ranking openly homosexual man on the White House staff".

According to Gay City News, his "competitive fundraising and wide travels across the state during the past year have impressed many party professionals with the seriousness of his run.

"[10][11] During the campaign, Maloney was endorsed by the New-York-state-based gay rights organization Empire State Pride Agenda and Karen Burstein, the first lesbian to run for attorney general, in 1994.

[12] Consistently polling in the single digits, Maloney was offered a chance to run for the office on the Liberal Party ticket but declined, saying he would support whoever won the Democratic nomination.

[19] Maloney joined Governor Eliot Spitzer's administration in January 2007 as First Deputy Secretary under top adviser Rich Baum.

[20] The Eliot Spitzer political surveillance controversy (popularly known as "Troopergate") broke out on July 23, 2007, when Cuomo's office admonished Spitzer's administration for ordering the State Police to create special records of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's whereabouts when he traveled with police escorts in New York City.

[23] The Wall Street Journal wrote in July 2012, "[G]enerally, those involved in the investigation on both sides defend Mr. Maloney's conduct.

Mr. Cuomo's chief of staff at the time, Steve Cohen, called the idea that Mr. Maloney got in the way of the Attorney General's inquiry 'misinformed to the point of being laughable.

[27] From 2000 to 2003, Maloney served as chief operating officer of Kiodex, Inc.[28] He was a senior attorney at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, during which time he represented the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Fellow Democrat Diana Hird announced her intention to challenge him in the primary election on June 28, 2016, but failed to obtain the necessary number of signatures and file a petition to get on the ballot in time.

[61] During the campaign, Maloney relied heavily on his accomplishments through his time in Congress, including his work on addressing climate change and drinking water infrastructure.

[63] While Maloney helped his fellow Democrats with their elections during the 2022 cycle, he eventually rushed back to his own district for last-minute campaigning once he realized that Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler might defeat him.

[71] Leading up to the 2013 government shutdown, he faced criticism for voting with Republicans to pass a budget that included provisions delaying the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

[72] He has been an outspoken critic of sequestration and the harmful effects it would have on the United States Military Academy at West Point, and he sent President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel a letter asking for flexibility in his district.

[79] Maloney called one opponent's characterization of the latter vote "unhinged", which earned him a rebuke for making remarks that could be considered sexist.

4449; 113th Congress), a bill that would require regular training and briefings for some federal government personnel to raise awareness of human trafficking and help employees spot cases of it.

[85] In July 2014, the FAA began an investigation into whether unmanned aircraft used for Maloney's wedding violated the agency's ban on drone flights.

A spokesman for Maloney, who was a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation subcommittee, which oversees the FAA, acknowledged that drones were hired.

[92] In March 2021, Maloney called for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation following allegations of sexual harassment and underreporting of COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

Hudson Valley Press wrote: "The legislation reauthorizes the Highlands Conservation Act through 2029, ensuring important work continues to preserve local lands, promote tourism, and protect wildlife and clean water sources across the region.

In 2021, Maloney-sponsored legislation banning current and future anchorage-site proposals on the Hudson was included in the Elijah E. Cumming Coast Guard Authorization Act and signed into law by President Joe Biden.

[112] Maloney became the second member of Congress to legally marry his same-sex partner while in office, the first being former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank in 2012.