President Trump announced Wednesday he has chosen current Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert C. O’Brien as national security adviser, replacing Ambassador John Bolton.
Trump revealed his pick on Twitter: “I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!”
First lady Melania Trump decorates the White House for Christmas: ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’
Trump says he believes Hegseth ‘100%’ on Venezuelan drug boat strike denial amid allegations
Afghan suspect in National Guard attack was ‘radicalized’ after arriving to US, Noem says
Trump says ‘don’t read anything into it’ when asked about declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed
Trump downplays Venezuelan airspace ‘closure’ after Maduro phone call
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow as Ukraine peace talks gain momentum
Over Half of Childless Women Do Not Want to Become Moms
Advocate warned Afghan evacuee was ‘not functional as a person’ months before National Guard shooting
Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims ‘hates Christianity’
Pope Leo says two-state solution ‘only solution’ to Israel-Palestine conflict
China Arrests 18 Church Leaders Amid Crackdown on Christianity
One of the Oldest Copies of Scripture Coming to the US
Sen Cory Booker marries fiancé Alexis Lewis in intimate DC ceremony
Ahead of ICE ops, New Orleans police leader lambasted for comments about enforcement of immigration law
Electricity Bills to Skyrocket This Holiday Season: Here’s Why
I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2019
O’Brien helped to gain the release of American rapper A$AP Rocky, after he was arrested and detained in Sweden earlier this year after getting into a street altercation.
He served as a senior foreign policy advisor to then-Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) in their presidential campaigns. Romney tweeted Wednesday, after the president made the announcement of his appointment:
Congratulations to my friend Robert O’Brien, who the President has appointed to serve as National Security Advisor. As the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, he has doggedly pursued the release of American hostages abroad. He is a man of the highest integrity.
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) September 18, 2019
First lady Melania Trump decorates the White House for Christmas: ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’
Trump says he believes Hegseth ‘100%’ on Venezuelan drug boat strike denial amid allegations
Afghan suspect in National Guard attack was ‘radicalized’ after arriving to US, Noem says
Trump says ‘don’t read anything into it’ when asked about declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed
Trump downplays Venezuelan airspace ‘closure’ after Maduro phone call
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow as Ukraine peace talks gain momentum
Over Half of Childless Women Do Not Want to Become Moms
Advocate warned Afghan evacuee was ‘not functional as a person’ months before National Guard shooting
Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims ‘hates Christianity’
Pope Leo says two-state solution ‘only solution’ to Israel-Palestine conflict
China Arrests 18 Church Leaders Amid Crackdown on Christianity
One of the Oldest Copies of Scripture Coming to the US
Sen Cory Booker marries fiancé Alexis Lewis in intimate DC ceremony
Ahead of ICE ops, New Orleans police leader lambasted for comments about enforcement of immigration law
Electricity Bills to Skyrocket This Holiday Season: Here’s Why
O’Brien has some experience with Afghanistan, which the president is trying to wind down the U.S. troop presence in. He served as as Co-Chairman of the U.S. Department of State Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan under the Bush and Obama administrations, according to his State Department biography.
He also served as a member of the U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee, which advises the government on issues relating to the trafficking of antiquities and other cultural items. In 2005, he served as a U.S. Representative to the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he worked with then-U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. He also served as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.
O’Brien is also the co-founding partner of litigation firm Larson O’Brien LLP in Los Angeles, which focuses on complex litigation and international arbitration. He is a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA.
He replaces Bolton, who the president fired last week, over various foreign policy disagreements reportedly on North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Story cited here.
