Jason Miller (communications strategist)

Jason Miller (born c. 1975) is an American communications strategist and political advisor, best known as the chief spokesman for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign and transition of Donald Trump. He was a Senior Adviser to the Trump 2020 re-election campaign.[2] Miller was formerly a partner and executive vice-president at Jamestown Associates.[3] He was initially announced as the incoming White House Communications Director during the presidential transition, but withdrew days later due to an affair with Trump Campaign staffer A. J. Delgado, which produced a child in July 2017.[4]

Jason Miller
Personal details
Born1974/1975 (age 45–46)[1]
Seattle, Washington
Political partyRepublican
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)

Early life and education

Miller was born and raised in Seattle. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the George Washington University.

Career

Politics

His first job in politics, from 1994 through 1997, was as a staff assistant to U.S. Senator Slade Gorton of Washington.[5]

After graduating from college, Miller moved to San Diego, California, where he spent most of the next year as coalitions director for businessman Darrell Issa who unsuccessfully sought the U.S. Senate nomination in the 1998 primary. Miller returned to the state in late-1999 to serve as Issa's political director in his successful 2000 campaign for California's 48th congressional district.[6]

In late 2000, Miller became campaign manager for Ric Keller, who won an open seat in the House of Representatives representing Florida with 50.8% of the vote. Miller went on to serve as Keller's chief of staff and to lead his successful re-election effort in 2002.[7] Keller won with 65% of the vote.

From July 2003 to July 2004, Miller managed Jack Ryan's campaign for U.S. Senate in Illinois. Under Miller's leadership, Ryan's campaign succeeded in winning a sharply contested race for the GOP nomination. Ryan's Democratic opponent was Barack Obama, then a state senator.[8] However, Ryan chose to end his candidacy abruptly after a judge in California ordered the unsealing of the Republican candidate's custody file, over the objections of both parents, creating a public furor.[9] (Ryan was replaced as nominee by Maryland resident Alan Keyes, and Obama coasted to an easy election that November.)

Miller then moved to Florida, where he served as political and communications consultant for the successful primary campaign of Mel Martínez for U.S. Senate, against several well-known contenders.[10] He closed out 2004 doing press and voter-contact consulting in Tom Coburn's winning effort for the Senate from Oklahoma.[6]

In January 2005, Miller was hired to manage the re-election campaign of Virginia Senator George F. Allen, widely tapped as a leading contender for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.[10] In an amicable parting designed to help Allen's long-term national ambitions, Miller left Allen's re-election in November 2005 to helm the re-election effort of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.[11] Allen's presidential hopes were dashed afterwards, losing a close contest after several major gaffes (including the infamous "macaca" incident), while Sanford cruised to a 55% re-election.[12] After the campaign, Miller took a job with the State of South Carolina, doing strategic planning for the governor,[13] also serving as Deputy Chief of Staff.[14]

National politics beckoned in April 2007, when Miller moved to New York and joined the Rudy Giuliani 2008 presidential campaign. Miller's title was Deputy Communications Director.[15] According to a press release, Miller's job was to "oversee the Committee's national rapid response and surrogate speaker efforts from the headquarters in New York City, while also contributing to the Committee's organization-building efforts in South Carolina and several other early-primary states."[15] Giuliani ended his campaign prior to Super Tuesday, after finishing third behind eventual nominee John McCain in the Florida primary.

In 2008, Miller joined Denzenhall Associates, a D.C.-based public relations firm specializing in crisis communications, advising major corporations, trade associations, and prominent individuals.[14]

Jamestown Associates

Miller joined the New Jersey-based Jamestown Associates consulting firm in January 2010 as Partner and Executive Vice President, working closely on campaigns with Jamestown CEO Larry Weitzner.[16] Their 2012 clients included St. Sen. Joe Kyrillos, who lost his bid for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, and Richard Mourdock in Indiana, who won his primary but lost the general election.

Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2016, Miller and Jamestown took on several insurgent candidates challenging Republican incumbents. These included Mourdock, in Indiana (who defeated longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 primary, losing to Democrat Joe Donnelly in the fall;[17]) and radiologist Milton R. Wolf, who nearly upset Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in the August 2014 primary. They did work for the Club for Growth PAC, which used Jamestown to help challenge a GOP incumbent in Mississippi and nominate a Tea Party conservative in Nebraska.[17] And in early 2015, they also worked on Ted Cruz's presidential campaign.

in 2013, Miller returned to South Carolina as ad producer and strategist[18] for Mark Sanford's comeback campaign for U.S. House, following the former Governor's scandalous affair with an Argentinian journalist and subsequent divorce.[19] Despite being actively shunned by national party committees and major donors, Sanford won the GOP nomination with 56.5%,[20] and then captured the coastal 1st District seat with 54% in the May special election.[21] Of Miller, Sanford chief of staff Scott English said, "He's disciplined in the middle of a firefight. He's good at thinking about, 'What are we talking about? What are we trying to accomplish?' and then going back on message again... A lot of people come into a safe environment, where they already know the outcome. He takes on challenges."[13]

In 2015, Miller and Jamestown Associates were the principal consultants for media and communications for Matt Bevin in Kentucky.[22] Bevin, who had lost his challenge to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a year earlier, was the surprise winner of a three-way race for the gubernatorial nomination in May—a victory attributed in part to a closing ad by Miller and Jamestown, "Food Fight."[23] After a difficult campaign he was behind in most polls; Bevin then won a 53% to 44% victory against attorney general Jack Conway that November.[24]

2016 presidential campaign and transition

During the Bevin campaign and thereafter into early 2016, Miller was Texas Senator Ted Cruz's "digital and communications adviser" in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.[25] The Washington Post's Katie Zezima wrote that Miller's challenge was "crafting Cruz's message of unyielding conservatism and spreading it among grassroots groups, where the senator hopes to gain the most support”.[6] Cruz suspended his campaign on May 5, following his defeat in the Indiana primary.

The following month, on June 29, the Trump campaign announced hiring Miller as senior communications adviser. BloombergPolitics described it as an attempt to "professionalize" the Trump communications operation.[26] After the announcement, some reporters noted the many anti-Trump Tweets Miller had sent prior to the end of Cruz's campaign.[26][27]

After the election, Miller was part of the Trump transition team, serving as its chief spokesman from November 2016 to January 2017. On December 22, he was announced as the President's choice for White House Communications Director.[28] However, two days later, Miller declined the offer, stating: "After spending this past week with my family, the most amount of time I have been able to spend with them since March 2015, it is clear they need to be my top priority right now and this is not the right time to start a new job as demanding as White House communications director. My wife and I are also excited about the arrival of our second daughter in January, and I need to put them in front of my career... I look forward to continuing to support the President-elect from the outside after my work on the transition concludes."[4]

His decision came after allegations of an extramarital affair with Trump campaign staffer Arlene J. Delgado, and an earlier report of his visiting a strip club with other staffers and several members of the press before a presidential debate.[29][30][31] As a result of the affair with Delgado, Miller became the father to a baby boy in July 2017.[32]

After 2016 campaign

In January 2017, Miller sold his interest in Jamestown Associates, and joined Teneo Strategy.[33] Teneo advises "Fortune 500 CEOs on crisis communications, corporate communications and media relations," according to the Axios blog. In the role of Trump adviser, Miller had criticized Teneo as a "corporate consultancy" created by Doug Band "to trade off the influence and power gained through the affiliation with [Hillary Clinton]."[34] Miller continued at Teneo through 2019.

In 2017, he became a CNN political contributor. He was subsequently terminated by the network.[35][36]

On September 14, 2018 A.J. Delgado, the mother of Miller's son, filed a suit in a Miami-Dade Circuit Court. In the suit, Delgado requests that Miller undergo a psychological evaluation because she alleges that she was told by a Republican lobbyist, and alleges journalist Yashar Ali confirmed said story, that, in 2012, Miller impregnated a stripper he met in an Orlando strip club and subsequently secretly administered an "abortion pill" to the unnamed woman, causing the abortion of the fetus and life-threatening bleeding of the unnamed woman.[37]

Miller filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Gizmodo Media Group and Splinter News reporter Katherine Krueger for their reporting. Chapo Trap House co-host Will Menaker was added as a defendant in the lawsuit after Menaker tweeted: “rat faced baby killer and Trump PR homunculus, Jason Miller, is suing my girlfriend for $100 million, cool!”[38] A Florida judge dismissed the suit.[39]

In October 2019, Miller began co-hosting, with Steve Bannon, War Room: Impeachment, a daily radio show and podcast intended to advise the Trump White House and its allies into how to fight the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[40] The podcast was cancelled by YouTube in January 2021, following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. [41][42]

The Trump 2020 campaign hired Miller as a senior adviser in June 2020.[43] The Trump campaign routed his $35,000 monthly salary through his former firm, making it harder for the mother of Miller’s son to prove his income in court, and aiding him in dodging approximately $3,000 per month in child support.[44]

In October 2020, shortly after the FBI announced that it had thwarted an attempt by a right-wing militia group to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Miller said it was "shameful" for Whitmer to call out President Trump's divisive rhetoric. Trump had tweeted, "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" in April 2020, which was seen as a rallying cry for opponents of Whitmer. Miller said, "If we want to talk about hatred, then Gov. Whitmer, go look in the mirror."[45]

In the days before the 2020 election, Miller claimed that counting of ballots after election day amounted to Democrats stealing the election.[46] Contrary to Miller's rhetoric, electoral votes are not awarded until December and elections have never been certified on election night.[46] Spencer Cox, the lieutenant governor of Utah and Republican gubernatorial candidate, tweeted that people should "ignore" statements like Miller's. Cox called Miller's statement "garbage."[46]

Personal life

Miller lives near Washington, D.C. with his wife, Kelly,[47] and their two daughters.[48] He also fathered a child with A. J. Delgado during a brief extra-marital affair, born six months after his second child.[49]

In 2018, Miller was accused of drugging his mistress with an abortifacient drug, by blending a pill into a fruit smoothie. The ensuing controversy caused him to leave his position as a political commentator on CNN.[50]

In 2019, Miller admitted in court that he had a history of visiting prostitutes and patronizing "Asian-themed" massage parlors.[51]

See also

References
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  2. Allen, Mike. "Trump's new wakeup call: Campaign operative Jason Miller gets him ready for the day". Axios.
  3. "Jason Miller, Jamestown Associates". Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  4. Miller, Jason (24 December 2016). "Jason Miller backs out of Trump White House job". Politico.
  5. Connelly, Joel; SeattlePI (2016-06-29). "Author of #SleazyDonald is new Trump communications director". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  6. https://www.facebook.com/zezimak. "Meet the people who will help Ted Cruz try to get to the White House". Washington Post.
  7. "Rudy Giuliani: Press Release - Top Sanford Aide Joins Giuliani Campaign". Presidency.ucsb.edu.
  8. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 24, 2004, "Senate Race Has Political Feuding"
  9. Kinzer, Stephen; Jo Napolitano (2004-06-23). "Illinois Senate Campaign Thrown Into Prurient Turmoil". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  10. Roll Call, January 27, 2005, "Next Stop the White House?"
  11. Richmond Times Dispatch, November 23, 2005, "Allen Campaign Official Leaving for S.C."
  12. "– Elections 2006". Cnn.com. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
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  16. "Jamestown Associates Names Jason Miller as Partner and Executive Vice President". Potomac Flacks.
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  20. "SC - Election Results". enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
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  24. Lasley, Matt (November 4, 2015). "Bevin elected Kentucky Governor". News Democrat and Leader. Russellville, Kentucky.
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  31. "Trump advisers went to strip club with members of media". 23 October 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
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  34. "Crooked Hillary Question of the Day: Will Clinton Disclose All Income Gained From Teneo Clients?". donaldjtrump.com. 2016-10-28. Archived from the original on 2016-10-30.
  35. de Moraes, Lisa (March 8, 2017). "CNN Hires Former Donald Trump Surrogate Jason Miller As Contributor". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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  38. Suebsaeng, Asawin (October 18, 2018). "Ex-Trump Adviser Jason Miller Sues Will Menaker of 'Chapo Trap House' Over Tweet". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  39. "Podcaster Beats Ex-Trump Aide's $100M Gizmodo Suit". Law360. April 18, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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  44. Dáte, S.V. (December 27, 2020). "Trump's Donors Funnel $10.5 Million Into His Businesses During His Presidency". HuffPost. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  45. Boucher, Dave (October 8, 2020). "Trump advisor: 'If we want to talk about hatred, then Gov. Whitmer, go look in the mirror'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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  49. Mizoguchi, Karen (August 10, 2017). "Married Former Trump Aide Admits Campaign Affair and Love Child, Sending Angered Ex-Mistress to Vent on Twitter". People. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  50. Lawler, Opheli (September 23, 2018). "Jason Miller departs CNN after abortion pill allegation". The Cut. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  51. Porter, Tom (July 17, 2019). "Former Trump aide Jason Miller said he hired prostitutes and visited massage parlors, court documents say". Business Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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