Nicolas Muzin
Nicolas David Muzin is a
Early life
Muzin was raised in a
Education
Muzin attended
Career
Early career
In 2000, Muzin supported the Al Gore / Joe Lieberman ticket.[7] He joined George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign as counsel for the Republican National Committee and served as a medical adviser for the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain.[7] From 2005 to 2008, Muzin was of council at Williams & Connolly.
Work with Tim Scott
Muzin was chief of staff and policy adviser for then Charleston City Councilmember
Muzin and Scott bonded over health policy, and interest in each other's beliefs. “The close alliance – and friendship — between a black Tea Party Republican from the South and an Orthodox doctor-lawyer from Canada is a rarity in politics, and upends perceptions about how blacks and Jews interact.”
In 2013, Muzin successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on Congressman Ted Poe, saving his life after the congressman started choking on a piece of popcorn.[11]
Work with Ted Cruz
Recruited by Chad Sweet, national campaign chairman for Sen. Ted Cruz,[12] Muzin served as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff for strategy for Cruz's Republican candidacy for President of the United States in the 2016 election.[2] Cruz stated that he used Muzin as a sounding board on issues related to Judaism and to gain a deeper understanding of the religion and the broader community.[13]
In July 2016, Muzin was considered by
Donald Trump administration
During the 2017 legislative session, Muzin played a key role in the passage of the First Step Act, a major piece of criminal justice legislation. It was a particularly difficult time for criminal justice reform, and among the most important holdouts on the Republican side at the time was Texas senator Ted Cruz. The key to reaching Cruz was Muzin, who "arranged a conference call which included long-time Cruz supporters, prominent Texan rabbinic leaders, influential legal figures like Alan Dershowitz, former attorney general Michael Mukasey, and conservative thought leaders, with multiple speakers covering the issue from personal, religious, moral, policy, and legal perspectives."[16] Just over a week later, on December 7 — which, Muzin observes, “was Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz, when we read of Yosef being released from prison” — Cruz announced his support for the legislation. With Cruz's change of heart and that of a few others, the First Step Act passed with an overwhelming majority of 87–12.[17]
In February 2018, it was reported by
In December 2020, Muzin, Alan Dershowitz, and other criminal justice reform advocates helped seek clemency for Eliyahu (“Eli”) Weinstein, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison for fraudulent real estate transactions, the longest sentence in the history of New Jersey for such an offense. In January, President Trump commuted Weinstein's sentence to time served.[23] The New York Times wrote that Muzin and Dershowitz's "combination of access, influence and substantive expertise...produced striking results" in winning clemency.[24]
Stonington Global
Muzin is the Founder and Chairman of Stonington Global,[25] a specialized law and consulting firm based in Washington, where he focuses on strategic international advisory and private equity work and practices as an attorney. The firm provides programming services to Voice of America Persian News Network, the American government-backed media outlet that produces journalistic content for the Iranian community.[26] Stonington Global also works on pro bono issues related to criminal justice reform, religious freedom and human rights.
Personal life
Muzin is an Orthodox Jew.[27]
References
- ^ "Lobbyist sued by Trump fundraiser ends work for Qatar". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05.
- ^ a b Official website of US Senator Ted Cruz Sen. Cruz Names Nick Muzin Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, July 2, 2014
- ^ JPUpdates Sen. Cruz Names Nick Muzin As Senior Adviser, Dep. Chief of Staff, July 2, 2014
- ^ Jewish Daily Telegraph: "Who are the Republican candidates’ Jewish donors?" by Ron Kampeas April 20, 2015
- ^ The New York Times Weddings/Celebrations – Andrea Zucker, Nicholas Muzin, July 9, 2006
- ^ Yeshiva University Alumni News Nick Muzin ’97YC, ’01E: Doctor, Lawyer, Political Strategist
- ^ a b c Canadian-born Orthodox Jew Nick Muzin helps boost black GOP Sen. Tim Scott to prominence, February 12, 2013
- ^ a b c d Kampeas, Ron. "Black senator's secret weapon: an Orthodox Jew from Canada". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
- ^ The Post & Courier Rep. Scott forms new PAC, January 19, 2012
- ^ Blogpost: Nick Muzin
- ^ CNN [1], June 17, 2013
- ^ Mishpacha Magazine Inside the Cruz Campaign, December 23, 2015
- ^ The New York Times Ted Cruz Makes the Rounds, and Matzo, in Brooklyn, April 7, 2016
- ^ Yeshiva University Search Committee Picks Ari Berman To Be School’s Next President
- ^ Yeshiva U Search Committee to Propose Instructor at Settlement College as Next President
- ^ "Fast Track to Freedom". Mishpacha Magazine. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Senate Passes Landmark Criminal Justice Reform | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ Tibon, Amir (8 February 2018). "Qatar Promised U.S. Jewish Leaders: Al Jazeera Documentary on D.C. 'Israel Lobby' Won't Air". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Surkes, Sue (8 February 2018). "American pro-Israel lobby girds for Al Jazeera exposé". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ a b "How the King of New York Kosher Restaurants Helped Qatar Win Over American Jewish Leaders". Mother Jones. June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Key figures in Gulf crisis sever ties with Qatar". Politico. June 7, 2018.
- ^ "Qatar's Efforts to Influence American Jews Continue to Unravel". Tablet. June 13, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Home". Stonington Global. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ Fang, Lee (January 7, 2020). "VOA Persian Gave Editorial Contract to Former Trump Campaign Operative". The Intercept. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ Jewish Insider 2016 Watch: Cruz Hires Nick Muzin, July 3, 2014