Trump honors Reagan AG Edwin Meese

Edwin Meese - Donald Trump
President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Attorney General Edwin Meese after presenting him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump on Tuesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Edwin Meese, best known for serving as President Ronald Regan’s attorney general.

Meese had a longstanding connection to Reagan that included serving as his chief of staff when Reagan was California’s governor. When Reagan became president, Meese served as his chief policy adviser before going on to serve as the nation’s 75th attorney general.

The White House says Meese played a pivotal role in securing historic tax cuts and crafting a foreign policy that eventually led to the end of the Cold War.