American diplomat

Jennifer Williams is an American United States Department of State 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 closed-door hearings before the House intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees in November 2019.[1]

Early life and education [ edit ]

Williams earned a bachelor's degree in international security studies from Georgetown University and a master's degree in public policy from Princeton University. She is from Houston, Texas.[2]

Career [ edit ]

Williams (in white) joins Pence meeting with New Moldova PM Maia Sandu (3)

Williams began her government career in the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2005, shortly after graduating from Georgetown. She served as a political appointee of Secretary Michael Chertoff, the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving under President George W. Bush.[3]

She then joined the State Department in 2006, where she has served for more than thirteen years. She was initially focused on Middle East policy and served overseas in Beirut, Lebanon, and Kingston, Jamaica. She managed the U.S. government's humanitarian assistance program for Syrian refugees from 2011-2014, and then served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.[4]

Williams then served in London as the U.S. Ambassador's Press Officer for three years.[5]

Williams has served as Pence's aide on European and Russian affairs since April 2019.[6] Williams accompanied Pence when he traveled to Poland in September 2019 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the approximately $400 million in military aid put on hold by the White House.[7]

Williams became the first witness from Pence's staff to give testimony in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. 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.[1]