44 Facts About Brett McGurk

Brett Holden McGurk was born on April 20,1973 and is an American diplomat, attorney, and academic who served in senior national security positions under presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.

Brett McGurk served as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

Brett McGurk was the special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIL.

Brett McGurk was appointed to this post by Obama in October 2015 and was retained in that role by the Trump administration until 2018.

Brett McGurk served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran and from October 2014 through January 2016, and led secret negotiations with Iran that led to a prisoner swap and release of four Americans from Iran.

Brett McGurk earlier served under President George W Bush as special assistant to the president and senior director for Iraq and Afghanistan, and under President Barack Obama as a senior advisor to the National Security Council and US ambassador to Iraq.

Brett McGurk was born to Barry Brett McGurk, an English professor, and Carol Ann Capobianco, an art teacher, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 20,1973.

Brett McGurk received his BA from the University of Connecticut Honors Program in 1996, and his JD from Columbia Law School in 1999.

Brett McGurk is a member of the Theta chapter of Zeta Psi fraternity.

In January 2004, Brett McGurk returned to public service as a legal advisor to both the Coalition Provisional Authority and the United States ambassador in Baghdad.

In 2006, Brett McGurk became an early advocate for a fundamental change in Iraq policy and helped develop what is known as "the surge," which began in January 2007.

In 2009, McGurk was retained during the transition from George W Bush to Barack Obama, serving as a senior advisor to both the president and the United States ambassador to Iraq.

Brett McGurk left government service in the fall of 2009 and served as a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics.

Brett McGurk served as an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Brett McGurk has been a frequent commentator on several news outlets.

Brett McGurk was called back into public service in the summer of 2010 after a deadlock over formation of a new Iraqi government, and later in the summer of 2011, following a deadlock in negotiations with the government of Iraq to extend the security agreement that had been concluded in 2008.

In November 2013, and again in February 2014, Brett McGurk testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the emerging threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

On June 9,2014, Brett McGurk was in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, when ISIL overran Mosul's city and approached Baghdad.

Brett McGurk later flew to Baghdad and helped oversee the evacuation of 1,500 US employees from the US embassy, while working with President Obama and the National Security Council to develop the US diplomatic and military response to the ISIL threat.

Three days later, Brett McGurk met in the Oval Office with Obama and Allen to discuss the strategy for building a global alliance to defeat ISIL.

Brett McGurk was intimately involved, for example, in negotiating agreements between Arabs and Kurds to prepare for the liberation of Mosul.

Brett McGurk helped lead negotiations with Turkey to open Incirlik airbase for counter-ISIL missions, and prepare the historic defense of Kobani in Syria by negotiating with Turkey to permit the Kurdish Peshmerga to enter the besieged city through Turkish territory.

Brett McGurk has since visited the battlefields of Kobani where he met officials from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party and its People's Protection Units, as well as the front lines in Mosul to meet with Iraqi soldiers and Kurdish Pershmerga prior to an offensive to secure the eastern side of the city.

Brett McGurk helped rally the global coalition for military and financial contributions to support major counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and Syria, with emphasis on post-conflict stabilization and returning the displaced to their homes.

Brett McGurk visited the battlefields of Syria multiple times to help organize the coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters that has succeeded in defeating ISIL in its former strongholds.

Brett McGurk later led talks with Russia and Jordan to establish a ceasefire zone in southwest Syria and spearheaded an initiative with Tillerson to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq after nearly three decades of dormant relations.

Brett McGurk spent much of the summer and fall of 2018 shuttling between Iraq and Syria with a focus on finalizing plans to defeat ISIL in its last strongholds of eastern Syria and establishing an Iraqi government that would continue to welcome an American and Coalition military presence.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on September 1,2018 that Brett McGurk was "doing a great job" in Baghdad while undertaking this difficult and dangerous assignment.

From October 2014 to January 2016, Brett McGurk was lead negotiator in secret negotiations with Iran that led to an exchange of prisoners and the return of four Americans, including Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini.

On March 26,2012, McGurk was nominated to become the next United States ambassador to Iraq, succeeding James F Jeffrey.

On June 18,2012, Brett McGurk submitted a letter to Obama and withdrew himself from further consideration.

Brett McGurk had been slated to leave the post in mid-February 2019.

Brett McGurk makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation.

Brett McGurk sends military personnel into harm's way with no backing.

On January 2,2019, Stanford University announced that McGurk had accepted a two-year appointment as the Frank E and Arthur W Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute.

Brett McGurk has served on the front lines across three administrations, and handled some of the most difficult assignments for me and President Bush in Iraq during the surge.

Brett McGurk published a well-received op-ed on the need to revitalize America's diplomatic corps including through an ROTC-like program to draw from America's colleges and universities to compete with great power competitors.

In February 2019, Brett McGurk received the James Foley Freedom Award for his work in securing the release of Americans held hostage by the Iranian government and his leadership in the campaign to defeat ISIL.

Brett McGurk was a Senior Foreign Affairs Analyst with NBC News and MSNBC, commentating regularly on foreign policy matters across NBC platforms.

Brett McGurk regularly speaks to public audiences about national security strategy, war, diplomacy, and decision-making.

In November 2023, Brett McGurk was selected by President Biden to lead negotiations between Israel and Hamas in an effort to secure the release of hostages in Gaza.

In December 2024 Brett McGurk invited president-elect Donald Trump's nominee to succeed him the following month, Steve Witkoff, to join him in negotiating what resulted in a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in January 2025; they teamed with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who it was agreed would be the one who would speak to Hamas.

Brett McGurk was awarded the Distinguished Honor Award by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in January 2009 and the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State John Kerry in November 2016.

Brett McGurk has received the Superior Honor Award from the US Department of State, and the Outstanding Service and Joint Service Commendation Award from the US National Security Council while serving as special assistant to President George W Bush.