President Donald Trump has named Robert O’Brien, the current envoy for hostage affairs, as the new national security adviser following the resignation of John Bolton last week.
“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” Trump tweeted.
O’Brien was involved in the release of the US rapper ASAP Rocky by Swedish authorities in August after the musician had been detained in connection with a street brawl in Stockholm. The special envoy was in the courtroom during the trial, which stirred diplomatic tensions as Trump demanded the rapper’s release.
O’Brien previously co-chaired the State Department’s justice reform initiative in Afghanistan, as well as advised the government on the trafficking of antiquities, according to his biography. He worked with Bolton at the United Nations under President George W. Bush, who appointed him in 2005.
O’Brien takes over as Trump’s fourth national security adviser, following the departures of Bolton, Michael Flynn, and HR McMaster.
