On November 23, 2020, President-elect Biden announced that Sullivan would be appointed the United States National Security Advisor. He took office on January 20, 2021.
In 2008, Sullivan was an advisor to Hillary Clinton during the primary cycle and then to Barack Obama during the general election campaign. He prepared Clinton and Obama for debates.[9] When Clinton became secretary of state, Sullivan joined as her deputy chief of staff[12] and Director of Policy Planning, and travelled with her to 112 countries.[13] In 2012, Hillary Clinton joked that Sullivan was a potential future president of the United States.[14]
Sullivan worked in the Obama administration as deputy assistant to the president and National Security Advisor to Vice PresidentJoe Biden.[15] He became Biden's top security aide in February 2013 after Clinton stepped down as secretary of state.[7] In those posts, he played a role in shaping U.S. foreign policy towards Libya, Syria, and Myanmar.[11]
In November 2013, the Associated Press reported that officials in the Obama administration had been in secret contact with Iranian officials throughout 2013 about the feasibility of an agreement over the Iranian nuclear program. The report stated that American officials, including Deputy Secretary of StateWilliam J. Burns, Senior White House Iran Advisor Puneet Talwar, and Sullivan, had secretly met with their Iranian counterparts at least five times face to face in Oman.[17] Those efforts paved the way for the Geneva interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, known officially as the Joint Plan of Action, signed by Iran and the P5+1 countries in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 24, 2013.[11][18]
Since then, Sullivan has regularly attended bilateral consultations with Iran in Geneva as a member of the U.S. delegation on the Iran nuclear negotiations.[15][19]
He was reported to be the only senior staffer who repeatedly suggested that Clinton should spend more time in Midwesternswing states during the election campaign. Clinton's failure to win those states was a key factor in her defeat.[21] Sullivan was prominent in many of the Podesta emails released during the 2016 US presidential election, including Sullivan questioning if Democratic primary candidate Martin O'Malley's 100% clean energy by 2050 plan was "realistic".[22] After the election, Sullivan confessed to feeling "a keen sense of responsibility" for Clinton's defeat.[23] On March 24, 2022, former president Donald Trump sued numerous people including Clinton and Sullivan alleging a conspiracy by the Clinton campaign to invent the Russian collusion scandal.[24] The suit was dismissed on September 8, 2022, and on January 19, 2023, a federal judge imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba, calling the suit "completely frivolous".[25]
Macro Advisory Partners and Microsoft
After his work with the Clinton campaign, Sullivan joined Macro Advisory Partners, a risk advisory company, in January 2017; it paid him at least $135,000.[26][27] While at the London-based advisory firm, he advised a number of companies including Uber, Mastercard, Lego, as well as large investment groups such as Bank of America, Aviva, Standard Life Aberdeen, and Standard Chartered.[28][26][29] Following the Clinton campaign, he joined the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire as a member of the faculty and senior fellow.[30]
Between 2017 and May 2020, Sullivan served on an advisory council for Microsoft; in 2020, he was paid $45,000 for this work.[31] Given his role in crafting U.S. cyber security policy in the Biden administration, including overseeing the government's response to the January 2021 cyberattack on Microsoft, concerns have been raised about potential conflicts of interest.[31][32]
On November 22, 2020, Sullivan was announced as Joe Biden National Security Advisor.[33] Upon his appointment, Sullivan stated that the early priorities of Biden's National Security Council (NSC) are the COVID-19 pandemic, "restructuring the NSC to make public health a permanent national security priority", and China relations.[3] He also emphasized that the Biden administration aimed to repair American relations with allies that he regarded as being damaged during the Trump administration.[3]
In September 2021 The Guardian opined that one of Sullivan's themes in the job is connecting US actions on the world stage to the lives and welfare of ordinary Americans, with the mantra of "a foreign policy for the middle class".[34]
After the surrender of Kabul to the Taliban, Sullivan said that the collapse of the government of Afghanistan occurred because at the "end of the day, despite the fact we spent 20 years and tens of billions of dollars to give the best equipment, the best training and the best capacity to the Afghan national security forces, we could not give them the will and they ultimately decided that they would not fight for Kabul and they would not fight for the country."[35] However, Brett Bruen, director of global engagement in the Obama White House, called for Sullivan's dismissal over his role in the affair.[36][37]
On October 6, 2021, a high level meeting between Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat, CCP Politburo member Yang Jiechi, in Zürich, Switzerland focused on a number of contentious aspects of Chinese-American relations, including the existence of Taiwan, trade disputes, the COVID-19 origin theories, as well as civic freedoms in Hong Kong. Despite continued differences between the two nations on these issues, both sides agreed to continue their cooperation "in the spirit of fair and peaceful competition".[40]
On October 25, 2021, Sullivan was briefed by Pentagon officials on the full range of military options to ensure that Iran would not be able to produce a nuclear weapon.[41]
On November 7, 2021, Sullivan stated that the US does not pursue system change in China any longer,[42] marking a clear break from the China policy pursued by previous US administrations. Sullivan said that the US is not seeking a new Cold War with China, but is looking for a system of peaceful coexistence.[43]
Sullivan with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, November 4, 2022
On December 7, 2021, Sullivan warned that Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project will end in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.[44]
2022
On January 14, 2022, Sullivan accused Russia of sending saboteurs into Ukraine to stage "a false-flag operation" that would create a pretext for Russia to invade Ukraine.[45] Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the U.S. claim as "total disinformation."[46]
Sullivan with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, October 28, 2023
On February 11, 2022, Sullivan publicly warned about the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine prior to the end the 2022 Winter Olympics, urging all Americans to leave Ukraine immediately and indicating that there may be "no prospect of a U.S. military evacuation" once an invasion commences.[47] He said that "Russia has all the forces it needs to conduct a major military action."[48] On 24 February the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
Sullivan with President Joe Biden, February 19, 2023
On March 13, 2022, Sullivan warned of a full-fledged NATO response if Russia attacks any part of NATO territory.[49] He reportedly advised Zelenskyy not to try to retake Crimea or attack the Crimean Bridge, fearing that Russia might respond with a nuclear strike. Sullivan also reportedly imposed restrictions to prevent Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons for retaliatory attacks on Russian territory.[50]
On March 14, 2022, he warned China that it would face consequences if it helped Russia evade sanctions.[51]
2023
On July 6, 2023, President Joe Biden authorized the provision of cluster munitions in support of a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in Russian-annexed southeastern Ukraine, bypassing U.S. law prohibiting the transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate greater than one percent.[52] Sullivan defended the use of cluster munitions, saying that "Ukraine would not be using these munitions in some foreign land. This is their country they're defending."[53]
On October 2, 2023, Sullivan stated in an article in Foreign Affairs that the Biden administration had "de-escalated crises in Gaza" and shortly before noted the Middle East is “quieter today than it has been in two decades.”[54] Five days later, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, sparking the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The article was later edited for online release.[55]
On October 15, 2023, CNN's Jake Tapper, in an interview with Sullivan, raised questions about Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and the impact on its population. Sullivan claimed that the United States worked with Israel "to make sure that innocent Palestinians get access to [water and medicine and food] and are protected from bombardment."[56]
On October 29, 2023, Sullivan dismissed calls for a ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, warning that any potential "humanitarian pause" to get hostages out of Gaza could benefit Hamas.[57] He declined to comment on whether Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza and whether Gazans would be allowed to return to their homes.[58][59] Sullivan stated that "Israel has a right, indeed a responsibility, to defend itself against a terrorist group."[59]
Sullivan with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, May 19, 2024
In the November–December 2023 issue of Foreign Affairs Sullivan laid out his vision of "The Sources of American
Power". It was the issue's cover story.[60]Anders Åslund wrote that the article showed a "Biden administration in denial about Ukraine".[61]
2024
In January 2024, the Biden administration rejected Vladimir Putin's proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Sullivan informed Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov that the United States would not discuss a ceasefire without Ukraine's participation.[62][63]
Also in January 2024 Sullivan met with Wang Yi at Bangkok for two days.[64]
In March 2024, Sullivan warned Ukrainian officials to cease military strikes in Russia using Ukraine's own weaponry, amidst concerns about impacts on oil prices. US officials had previously placed restrictions against Ukraine using US-provided weapons in Russia.[65]
In May 2024, Sullivan expressed concern at the Irish, Norwegian, and Spanish recognition of Palestine and Israel's growing diplomatic isolation, saying that "we certainly have seen a growing chorus of voices, including voices that had previously been in support of Israel, drift in another direction. That is of concern to us because we do not believe that that contributes to Israel's long-term security or vitality."[66]
On June 9, 2024, Sullivan said that the rescue operation to recover Israeli hostages from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza was aided by intelligence support from the United States.[67]
In late April 2023, an unknown man reportedly entered Sullivan's home in the West End neighborhood of Washington D.C. at around 3 am, but left before Secret Service agents were alerted.[76] Sullivan discovered the man because he was still working at the time.[77]
^Thrush, Glenn (December 9, 2016). "10 Crucial Decisions That Reshaped America". Politico. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016. He was also the only one of the dozen aides who dialed in for Clinton's daily scheduling call who kept on asking if it wasn't a good idea for her to spend more time in the Midwestern swing states in the closing days of the campaign.
^Leonnig, Carol; Pager, Tyler (May 16, 2023). "Intrusion at national security adviser's home under investigation". The unknown man walked into Jake Sullivan's home at about 3 a.m. one day in late April and Sullivan confronted the individual, instructing him to leave, two of the people briefed on the incident said. There were no signs of forced entry at the home, according to one of the people. Sullivan has a round-the-clock Secret Service detail. But agents stationed outside the house were unaware that an intruder had gotten inside the home, located in the West End neighborhood of Washington, until the man had already left and Sullivan came outside to alert the agents, the two people said.
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