Nicolas Muzin

Nicolas David "Nick" Muzin is a Canadian-American Republican political strategist, attorney and physician. He has served as the director of coalitions for the United States House Republican Conference[1] and was Senior Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff for Republican candidate for President of the United States Sen. Ted Cruz.[2] After the 2016 elections, he went on to work as a lobbyist and is currently Chairman of Stonington Global headquartered in Washington, DC.

Early life

Muzin was raised in a Jewish family[3] in Toronto, Ontario, and is the son of Helen and Gary Muzin. His father is the president of a construction distribution and supply company.[4]

Education

Muzin attended Ner Israel Yeshiva High School in Toronto. After spending some post-high school time at the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, he attended Yeshiva University in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. While there, he served as editor in chief of the school newspaper, The Commentator, graduating in 1997. Muzin then completed Albert Einstein College of Medicine on a full four-year scholarship in 2001. Following a year as an internal medicine intern, Muzin proceeded to Yale Law School.[5] At Yale, Nicolas was a member of the Jewish leadership society Shabtai.

Career

A licensed physician, Nick’s first job in politics came when he took a semester off from his studies at Yale Law School to serve as Counsel for the Republican National Committee during George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign. In 2008, Muzin served as Senior Medical Adviser for the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain.[6] From 2005 to 2008, Muzin was of council at Williams & Connolly.

Dr. Muzin was Chief of Staff and Policy Adviser for then Charleston City Councilmember Tim Scott during his successful 2010 campaign for US Congress following the retirement of Rep. Henry Brown, and until December of that year, served as Scott's Chief of Staff.[7] Muzin remained involved with Scott during his transition from the House to his current position in the Senate.[6]

Dr. Muzin successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on Congressman Ted Poe, saving his life after the congressman started choking on a piece of popcorn.[8]

From 2013-2014, Nick served as Director of Coalitions for the House Republican Conference, under the leadership of Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). In this position, Nick coordinated strategy and outreach for all 234 Republican majority members of Congress.

In July 2014, Nick was named Senior Advisor & Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). He also served as Senior Advisor on the Cruz presidential campaign, which The Washington Post called “the best run campaign of 2016.”

Recruited by Chad Sweet, national campaign chairman for Sen. Ted Cruz,[9] 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.[1] 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.[10]

Dr. Muzin was also the National Political Director for the Washington D.C. political action committee Tomorrow is Meaningful (TIM-PAC), established by Tim Scott.[11] TIM-PAC focuses on encouraging entrepreneurship, private market-driven health care, tax reform, strengthening ties with longtime U.S. ally Israel, and an additional aim of sourcing viable candidates to bolster the Tea Party movement’s political base.[12] On July 2016, Muzin was considered by Yeshiva University, his alma mater, for the position of University president.[13][14]

In the summer of 2016, Nick began working with the Trump campaign on coalitions, fundraising, and political outreach in swing states, culminating in a series of events with then-candidate Donald Trump. After the election, Nick  helped recruit candidates for the new Administration.

In February 2018, it was reported by Haaretz and The Times of Israel that the Qatari Government had hired Nick Muzin to improve the Emirates's relations with the Trump Administration and the Jewish American community. Muzin's work reportedly included arranging meetings between Qatari officials and leaders of Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy groups.[15][16]

Muzin introduced Qataris to prominent American Jewish figures and helped them meet with the Emir of Qatar and other prominent government officials. American Jewish leaders who accepted trips organized by Allaham and Muzin included Alan Dershowitz, head of the Zionist Organization of America Mort Klein, and Malcolm Hoenlein.[17] On June 6, 2018, Muzin declared on Twitter that he had stopped working for Qatar.[18][19]

Personal life

Muzin is an Orthodox Jew.[20] In 2006, he married Andrea Michelle Zucker, the daughter of Anita Zucker and Jerry Zucker.[4]

gollark: - trees (deciduous)- trees (evergreen)- Zachary (being wrong)
gollark: - leaves (non-tree)
gollark: - space filling curves- leaves (tree)
gollark: - electromagnetism- electromagentism- the strong nuclear force- chicken (animal)- armchair (infinite)
gollark: - orange (color)

References
  1. Official website of US Senator Ted Cruz Sen. Cruz Names Nick Muzin Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, July 2, 2014
  2. JPUpdates Sen. Cruz Names Nick Muzin As Senior Adviser, Dep. Chief of Staff, July 2, 2014
  3. Jewish Daily Telegraph: "Who are the Republican candidates’ Jewish donors?" by Ron Kampeas April 20, 2015
  4. The New York Times WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Andrea Zucker, Nicholas Muzin, July 9, 2006
  5. Yeshiva University Alumni News Nick Muzin ’97YC, ’01E: Doctor, Lawyer, Political Strategist
  6. Canadian-born Orthodox Jew Nick Muzin helps boost black GOP Sen. Tim Scott to prominence, February 12, 2013
  7. Senator’s secret weapon: an Orthodox Jew from Canada, July 5, 2018
  8. CNN , June 17, 2013
  9. Mishpacha Magazine Inside the Cruz Campaign, December 23, 2015
  10. The New York Times Ted Cruz Makes the Rounds, and Matzo, in Brooklyn, April 7, 2016
  11. The Post & Courier Rep. Scott forms new PAC, January 19, 2012
  12. Blogpost: Nick Muzin
  13. Yeshiva University Search Committee Picks Ari Berman To Be School’s Next President
  14. Yeshiva U Search Committee to Propose Instructor at Settlement College as Next President
  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.
  16. Surkes, Sue (8 February 2018). "American pro-Israel lobby girds for Al Jazeera exposé". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  17. "How the King of New York Kosher Restaurants Helped Qatar Win Over American Jewish Leaders". Mother Jones. June 13, 2018.
  18. "Key figures in Gulf crisis sever ties with Qatar". Politico. June 7, 2018.
  19. "Qatar's Efforts to Influence American Jews Continue to Unravel". Tablet. June 13, 2018.
  20. Jewish Insider 2016 Watch: Cruz Hires Nick Muzin, July 3, 2014
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