Jennifer Williams
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Jennifer Leigh Williams is an American
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
official who has served as a special advisor to U.S. vice president Mike Pence on European and Russian affairs. Williams testified under subpoena, in the impeachment hearings of Donald Trump, in closed-door hearings before the House intelligence,
Oversight Oversight may refer to: Governance *Regulation – rulemaking *Separation of powers in state governance (checks and balances) - the concept of separate branches of government or agencies exercising authority over one another *Checks and control ...
, and Foreign Affairs committees on November 9, 2019. She gave public testimony to the House of Representatives ten days later.


Early life and education

Williams grew up in Houston, Texas. She attended Memorial High School in the
Spring Branch ISD Spring Branch Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Hedwig Village, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The district serves portions of western Houston,Morales, Katherine.Residents working to retain superintendent ...
, serving as class vice-president and graduating in 2001. Williams earned a bachelor's degree in international security studies from the
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) is the school of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It is considered to be one of the world's leading international affairs schools, granting degrees at both ...
and a master's degree in public policy from the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...
at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
.


Career

Williams began her government career in the
United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
in 2005, shortly after graduating from Georgetown. She served as a political appointee of Secretary
Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. ...
, the second
United States Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...
, serving under President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. She then joined the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
in 2006, where she has served for more than thirteen years. She was initially focused on Middle East policy, and served overseas in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
and Kingston, Jamaica. She managed the U.S. government's humanitarian assistance program for Syrian refugees from 2011 to 2014, and then served as Special Assistant to the
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides the operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in variou ...
at the State Department headquarters in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Williams then served in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
as the Press Officer for the
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom The United States ambassador to the United Kingdom (known formally as the ambassador of the United States to the Court of St James's) is the official representative of the president of the United States and the American government to the monarc ...
for three years. Williams has served as Mike Pence's aide on European and Russian affairs since April 2019. Williams accompanied Pence when he traveled to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
in September 2019 to meet with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
.


Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump

Williams became the first witness from Pence's staff to give testimony in the
impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump The inquiry process which preceded the first impeachment of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States, was initiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24, 2019, after a whistleblower alleged that Donald Trump may have ab ...
. She was expected to answer inquiries regarding Pence's communications with Rudy Giuliani and Ukrainian leaders. Williams was one of a few officials on Trump's July 25, 2019 call with Ukraine President Zelensky in which Trump asked the Ukrainian leader to open an investigation into one of Trump's domestic political opponents. She later indicated that she also overheard the July 25, 2019 call, and that the Trump administration wanted better knowledge about the controversy surrounding
Burisma Burisma Holdings Limited ( uk, Бурісма Холдингс) is a holding company for a group of energy exploration and production companies. It is registered in Limassol, Cyprus, but based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Burisma Holdings has operated i ...
. She stated that she expressed concern over the phone conversation, which she described as "unusual." However, Williams' supervisor Lt. Gen.
Keith Kellogg Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. (born May 12, 1944) is a former United States government official and a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. He previously served as the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, and as the ...
, said Williams "never reported any personal or professional concerns to him regarding the call...In fact, she never reported any personal or professional concerns to any other member of the Vice President’s staff, including our Chief of Staff and the Vice President". Williams also testified that when Zelensky was elected, Pence initially agreed to attend the inauguration if his schedule permitted, but that plan was cancelled when on May 13, Williams was informed that President Trump had decided that Pence would not represent the U.S. at the inauguration in Ukraine after all. Williams also gave testimony about phone conversations between Pence and Zelensky, including one on September 18, noting that Pence told the Ukrainian President, "President Trump would be eager to hear about President Zelensky's progress in his reform agenda." Williams has been recognized as one of the "powerful, professional women on both sides of the dais who have emerged as major figures in the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump," and one of the witnesses who have "held their own" in the face of partisan attacks. Before her public testimony, Trump, without evidence, accused her of being a " Never Trumper," as he has with other witnesses. Williams, who started her government career in the Bush administration and called former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “a personal hero of mine,” denied being a “Never Trumper.” On December 6, 2019, House Intelligence Committee Chairman
Adam Schiff Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who has served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Par ...
requested in a letter to Pence that he declassify more material related to Williams' testimony in the House impeachment investigation. Pence had already announced that he was willing to release transcripts and documents related to his September 18, 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Williams testified about the call but at a later hearing announced that details about the phone conversation had been classified.USA Today, "Mike Pence backs release of transcripts of his calls with Ukraine" Oct 9, 201

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References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jennifer American women diplomats American diplomats Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Living people Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni Trump administration personnel United States Foreign Service personnel Memorial High School (Hedwig Village, Texas) alumni 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)