Elliott Abrams: podcast appearances and interviews

Elliott Abrams, born on January 24, 1948, is an American politician and lawyer with extensive experience in foreign policy. He has served in key positions for the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Abrams is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and is recognized as a neoconservative. His career includes serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela from 2019 to 2021. Abrams was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan administration, which led to his conviction in 1991 on two misdemeanor charges for unlawfully withholding information from Congress; he was subsequently pardoned by President George H. W. Bush. During George W. Bush's first term, Abrams served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs. In the second term, he was promoted to Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy, overseeing efforts to promote democracy abroad. Abrams supported the Iraq War and was a leading figure in the 1998 Project for the New American Century letter advocating the removal of Saddam Hussein. Under Donald Trump, he was appointed as Special Representative for Venezuela in 2019 and as the Special Representative for Iran in 2020. In July 2023, he was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.