Marik String

Marik String is an American attorney and political advisor serving as the acting Legal Adviser of the Department of State. Appointed on June 1, 2019, he succeeded Jennifer Gillian Newstead.

Marik String
Acting Legal Adviser of the Department of State
Incumbent
Assumed office June 1, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Jennifer Gillian Newstead
Personal details
Education	University of Notre Dame (BA) Georgetown University (JD) University of Vienna (MA)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy

Education

String earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, he was the editor of The Georgetown Law Journal. String earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Vienna and speaks fluent German.[1]

Career

String is an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. After graduating law school, served as a staff attorney on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he acted as Deputy Chief Counsel and Senior Professional Staff Member. During his tenure in the Senate, he served as a policy advisor on issues related to Russia, NATO, and the European Union. He then worked as an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, where he specialized in national security law. String later served in various leadership positions within the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. String also served as a senior advisor to the United States Deputy Secretary of State.[2]

String was selected to serve as acting Legal Adviser of the Department of State in 2019, succeeding Jennifer Gillian Newstead. During his tenure, String aided Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in attempting to circumvent a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. String also encouraged the Inspector General of the Department of State to drop an investigation into the effort.[3] The Inspector General, Steve Linick, was soon fired by Donald Trump, and String was later subpoenaed by the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.[4][5][6]

References

1. "Marik String". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
2. "Marik String Appointment as State Department's Top Lawyer Raises Questions". Just Security. 2019-06-13. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
3. Wong, Edward; LaForgia, Michael; Jakes, Lara (2020-06-10). "Pompeo Aide Who Pushed Saudi Arms Sale Said to Have Pressured Inspector General". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
4. "House committees subpoena top Pompeo aides over IG firing". AP NEWS. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
5. Wong, Edward; LaForgia, Michael (2020-08-10). "State Dept. Says Report Defends Pompeo on Arms Sales. But It Finds Fault Over Mass Deaths". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
6. "Fired State Dept watchdog says he was bullied by officials". AP NEWS. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2020-09-04.