Jon Lerner, '95: Withdraws His Acceptance of the Position of National Security Advisor to Vice President Pence
Who Is Jon Lerner? Pence’s National Security Advisor Nominee Withdraws in Face of Trump Opposition
Jon Lerner was about to become national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence until he suddenly withdrew his acceptance of the position amid reports of tensions in the White House over the appointment.
Lerner, who turns 50 this year, currently serves as deputy at the United Nations to the U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley, who he had helped in 2011 to secure the state governorship in South Carolina.
Pence’s office released a statement confirming that Lerner had withdrawn from the role, and said the vice president holds him “the highest regard,” reported CNN. According to Axios, Trump blocked Lerner because of his past role in the 'Never Trump' campaign by Republicans.
Politico reported in July 2016, before Trump became Republican nominee for president, that Lerner was working in the shadows as a strategist and pollster instrumental to the anti-Trump movement within the party.
He was educated at George Washington University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Chicago Law School, according to the Red Sea website. Now he lives in Maryland.
“Jon is one of the most brilliant minds in politics, having guided candidates such as Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Marco Rubio,” Nick Muzin, a former senior advisor to Senator Ted Cruz, told Jewish Insider.
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