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Robert Karem

Robert Karem will join Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) staff Nov. 5 as a national security advisor. He is currently assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs at the Pentagon.

“Robert has served at the highest levels of government and his expertise in foreign policy and national security are critical as we face continued threats to our homeland and around the world. I’m thrilled to welcome Robert back to our team in such a key role,” McConnell stated. He continued, “Senate leadership and the entire Republican Conference will benefit greatly from his counsel built on years of service and experience.”

This is the second senior addition to McConnell’s staff, as he recently brought in former staff director for the Senate Finance Committee, Jay Khosla, to serve as his chief economic policy counsel.

Karem was a foreign policy legislative assistant on McConnell’s staff before starting in President George W. Bush’s administration in 2005. After leaving the White House, Karem served as senior policy advisor to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA, 7th) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA, 23rd). Karem left Congress to work on Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign as a foreign policy advisor. The Senate confirmed him to his current position in the Defense Department in 2017.

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