Jay I. Bratt

Jay I. Bratt is an American lawyer who served as a federal prosecutor at the United States Department of Justice for 34 years until his retirement in January 2025. As Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) in the National Security Division, Bratt oversaw all federal investigations and prosecutions under the Espionage Act, export control laws, and foreign influence statutes.

His notable prosecutions included the Blackwater guards case, Espionage Act cases involving Jonathan Pollard and Navy linguist James Hitselberger, and investigations into Chinese telecommunications firms Huawei and ZTE. From 2022 to 2025, he served as Counselor to Special Counsel Jack Smith on the classified documents case.

Early life and education Bratt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1984.

Bratt held several positions within the National Security Division, including Deputy Chief for Export Control and Sanctions and Principal Deputy Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. He was appointed Chief of CES around 2017, a position in which he oversaw all federal investigations and prosecutions involving the Espionage Act, export control and sanctions laws, and foreign influence statutes.

Attorney Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump aide Walt Nauta, alleged in 2023 that Bratt raised Woodward's application for a D.C. judgeship during a meeting in a manner that implied pressure to cooperate. Bratt denied any improper intent, and prosecutors stated he mentioned the application "purely as a matter of professional courtesy."

Post-retirement Following his retirement, Bratt joined the University of Virginia School of Law as an adjunct professor.