Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert O'Brien will join his administration as a new National Security Advisor. The Californian lawyer will replace John Bolton, who left the White House last week due to disagreements with the US President and members of his team.
- Robert C. O'Brien was born in Los Angeles and received degrees from the University of California and UC Berkeley School of Law.
- From 1996 to 1998, O'Brien was a legal officer with the United Nations Security Council (Compensation Commission) in Geneva, heading a group of attorneys that reviewed claims caused by the Iraq 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
- In 2005 he was nominated as the US Alternate Representative to the UN General Assembly. Later President George W. Bush also appointed him Co-Chairman of the Department of State's Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan
- According to The National Interest, in 2017, Trump had considered O'Brien for the post of Secretary of the Navy
- In 2018, O'Brien was appointed as Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and received the rank of ambassador in 2019.
The new advisor will be charged with helping Trump in various matters, including the trade war with China, the standoff with Tehran, negotiations with North Korea, peace talks with the Taliban movement and countless other issues.