NBC News has announced that Kelly O’Donnell will be named NBC News’ chief justice and national affairs correspondent, promoting the veteran journalist to one of its most prominent roles covering the Justice Department. According to a report by Deadline, O’Donnell, who has served as NBC’s senior White House correspondent for the past four years, brings more than 30 years of political reporting experience to her new assignment. Her career has included extensive coverage of the White House, Capitol Hill, and eight presidential campaigns.
O’Donnell follows in the footsteps of longtime Justice Department correspondent Pete Williams, who praised her qualifications for the role. “She understands how much the White House and the Justice Department are working together and brings her solid reporting chops to one of the most important beats in town,” Williams said in a statement.
“Kelly brings three decades covering the White House, Capitol Hill and eight political campaigns to this new assignment, with the tenacious and precise reporting that has made her one of the most respected journalists in Washington,” said Chloe Arensberg, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief, in a memo to staff.
O’Donnell’s credentials include leadership roles both inside and outside the newsroom. She served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association from 2023 to 2024 and previously led NBC’s Capitol Hill coverage during a period that spanned three speakerships and several Supreme Court nominations.
In addition, she covered the Supreme Court from 2022 to 2023, making her, as Arensberg noted, “the rare reporter to cover all three branches of government.”
A member of the NBC News team since 1994, O’Donnell has reported on many of the most consequential events in recent history. Her work includes coverage of 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine school shooting, and the O.J. Simpson case. During the Iraq war, she was embedded with the Third Infantry Division in Fallujah in 2003 and flew on a classified combat mission over Iraq during the air assault on Baghdad.
Over the course of her career, O’Donnell has received two Emmy Awards and the Northwestern Alumni Medal for career achievement. She began her career in broadcast journalism at WJW-TV, then a CBS affiliate in Cleveland, where she worked as an anchor and reporter.
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