[8] He is a co-author of Handbook on Corporate Political Activity,[9] a "regular contributor" for media outlets including CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Hill, Roll Call, The Washington Post, NPR, USA Today, and Politico,[8] and was a visiting professor at the University of Georgia School of Law.
[11][12] His nomination had the strong support of Howard Dean, former Democratic presidential candidate, who opined that Passantino would be clear about ethical boundaries.
Newt Gingrich also backed him, stating he would “stand firm for an administration that is above reproach.”[5] A major conflict of interest case that came up during his tenure was Kellyanne Conway's endorsement of Ivanka Trump's clothing line.
[22][23] Hutchinson testified that White House officials anticipated violence days in advance of January 6, that Trump knew supporters at the Ellipse rally were armed with weapons including AR-15s, yet asked to relax security checks at his speech, and that Trump planned to join the crowd at the Capitol and became irate when the Secret Service refused his request.
[26] On December 20, 2022, CNN reported that "sources" identified Passantino as the lawyer who urged a key witness to mislead the committee.
In March 2023, several dozen "prominent" legal figures (but not Hutchinson) filed a complaint through Lawyers Defending American Democracy[35] with Washington D.C.’s Board on Professional Responsibility seeking to have Passantino's law license revoked on allegations of subornation of perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and bribery.
[37] In December 2023, Passantino accused the House January 6 committee of spreading false information about his representation of Hutchinson and is seeking $67 million in damages.
[37] In October 2024, Passantino filed an Utah State Bar complaint against Michael J. Teter, managing director of The 65 Project, claiming apparent violation of the Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct and other rules regarding Teter's filing of an ethics complaint claiming deficient representation of Hutchinson by Passantino.
[40][33] Passantino provided a detailed interview to Tucker Carlson on November 1, 2024 describing his experiences with Hutchinson, the January 6 committee, the bar investigations, and his lawsuit against the Federal government for civil rights violations.
[41] Passantino was "national counsel" on Newt Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign and for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.