Tom Malinowski

Tomasz P. Malinowski (born September 23, 1965)[1] is an American politician and diplomat who is the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district. A Democrat, he previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Obama administration. Malinowski was first elected in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Leonard Lance.[2][3]

Tom Malinowski
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 7th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byLeonard Lance
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
In office
April 3, 2014 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyVirginia L. Bennett
Preceded byMichael Posner
Succeeded byRobert Destro
Personal details
Born (1965-09-23) September 23, 1965
Słupsk, Poland
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
St Antony's College, Oxford (MPhil)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

Malinowski was born in Słupsk, Poland, and lived in Brwinów until he left the country at the age of six with his mother, Joanna, who married Blair Clark. He was raised in Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton High School in 1983, where he wrote for the school newspaper The Tower and was an intern in the office of Senator Bill Bradley.[1] Malinowski received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1987 and a Master of Philosophy from St Antony's College, Oxford, in 1991, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.[1][4]

Early political career

Malinowski began his government career as a special assistant for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1988. After attending Oxford, Malinowski worked for the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Austria, and later as a research assistant for the Ford Foundation in 1993.[4] From 1994 to 1998, Malinowski was a speechwriter for secretaries of state Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright, as well as a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State.[5] From 1998 to 2001, Malinowski served as senior director on the National Security Council at the White House, where he oversaw the drafting of President Bill Clinton's foreign policy speeches and strategic communications efforts around the world.[4][5]

Human Rights Watch

From 2001 to 2013, Malinowski was a lobbyist for Human Rights Watch.[4][5][6] In this position, he advocated for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[7] Malinowski also opposed the United States supplying Israel with cluster munitions because of their misuse in Lebanon and asked then-Senator Hillary Clinton to not support Israel's construction of a wall in the occupied West Bank.[8][9]

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Malinowski was seen by some[10][11] as a likely nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor but his previous registration as a lobbyist while at Human Rights Watch necessitated a waiver from the President. On July 8, 2013, during President Obama's second term, Malinowski was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.[12][13] Malinowski testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 24, 2013,[14] and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 2, 2014.[15][16][17] According to columnist Jennifer Rubin, Malinowski was praised in 2014 by leaders from both parties for his defense of human rights and his work toward ending torture.[18]

While working in the State Department, Malinowski spearheaded efforts to assist persecuted religious minorities targeted by ISIS in Iraq.[19][20] He also oversaw efforts to sanction North Korean officials for human rights abuses and increase the flow of uncensored information into the country.[21][22] He led State Department efforts to defend the LGBT community around the world and oversaw the appointment of the first Special Envoy for LGBT rights.[23][24] Malinowski backed the United Nations' efforts to investigate possible war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan Civil War.[25] He also worked on reducing civilian casualties from U.S. military operations in the Middle East[26] and assisted with sanctioning Russian officials under the Magnitsky Act for human rights abuses.[27]

In July 2014, Malinowski was expelled by Bahrain's government after meeting with members of an Bahraini opposition group during a scheduled visit.[28][29] The foreign ministry of Bahrain asserted that Malinowski's meeting was an improper intervention in the country's affairs but said the incident would not affect Bahrain–United States relations.[28] The U.S. State Department released a statement of concern about the actions while Secretary of State John Kerry called Bahrain's actions unacceptable and contrary to diplomatic protocol.[28][30][31] Malinowski returned to the country in December 2014 with the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.[32][33]

Following the end of his tenure at the State Department, Malinowski joined fellow former Obama officials to lobby Congress in an effort to prevent the Trump administration from lifting the sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.[34] He criticized Donald Trump for having an "obscene fondness" for the world's tyrants and for instituting a "complete departure from decades of American tradition."[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

On October 2, 2017, Malinowski announced his candidacy for Congress in New Jersey's 7th congressional district in the 2018 midterm elections.[35] He decided to run for Congress after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, which he saw as an indication that America was in "deep trouble."[36] Malinowski also cited what he called the Trump administration's "effort to take down the Affordable Care Act with no viable replacement. It was the Muslim ban, and attacks on immigrants, it was the tearing up of alliances and commitments internationally. It was the taking down of environmental protections, it was refusing to invest in infrastructure."[37]

Malinowski supports the Affordable Care Act and criticized the Republican Party for "whittling away at the Affordable Care Act year after year."[38] Malinowski supports a public health insurance option, but opposes Medicare-for-all.[39] He also supports raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour as well as stronger collective bargaining rights and protections for workers.[40] Malinowski sees Democrats, not Republicans, as promoting fiscal responsibility, law enforcement, family values, and patriotism.[41]

Malinowski at his campaign headquarters in Martinsville, New Jersey

In the June 5, 2018, Democratic primary election, Malinowski defeated social worker Peter Jacob and lawyer Goutam Jois, receiving 66.8% of the vote and winning all counties in the district.[42][43][44]

Malinowski criticized incumbent Republican Leonard Lance, saying that he "shifted to the right when he was scared of the Tea Party and he's moving to the left when he's scared of his increasingly moderate and energized constituents."[45] On November 6, Malinowski won the general election, receiving 51.7% of the vote. While Malinowski and Lance each carried three of the six counties in the district, Malinowski won the district's shares of Somerset and Union counties by a combined 22,300 votes, more than the overall margin of 16,200 votes.[46][47] When he took office in January 2019, he became the first Democrat to represent the 7th and its predecessors since 1961.

Malinowski was the first member of the New Jersey House delegation to call to begin the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump in May 2019.[48] He endorsed the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in January 2020.[49]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Malinowski owns a home in Washington, D.C., but moved to Rocky Hill, New Jersey, close to where he grew up, in September 2017.[52] In 2020, Malinowski moved to the Ringoes section of East Amwell Township, New Jersey.[53]

Malinowski's stepfather Blair Clark was a journalist. Clark's sister was Anne Martindell, a member of the New Jersey State Senate (1974–1977) and a United States ambassador to New Zealand (1979–1981).[54]

Malinowski has one daughter, Emily.[55]

References
  1. "Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: Who Is Tom Malinowski?". AllGov. July 21, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  2. "Malinowski Declares". InsiderNJ. October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  3. "New Jersey Primary Election Results". New York Times. June 11, 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  4. "Tom Malinowski". U.S. Department of State. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  5. "Malinowski, Tom". Center for Responsive Politics. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  6. Politico magazine, Susan B. Glasser, June 19, 2017, The Man Who Argued With Dictators: Tom Malinowski spent years trying to get President Obama to care more about human rights. Now, he’s figuring out what to do with a president who doesn’t seem to care at all., Retrieved May 24, 2018, "...Malinowski spent the past few years pushing Obama from the inside on human rights ... former Washington director of Human Rights Watch ... leading the resistance from the outside to Trump and what he calls his “obscene” fondness for the world’s tyrants...."
  7. Malinowski, Tom (November 22, 2006). "Four Good Reasons Why Guantanamo Should Be Closed". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. "Human Rights Watch Lobbying Activity". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  9. Malinowski, Tom. "Human Rights watch Lobbying Activity". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  10. "Nonprofit Groups Seeking Exceptions to Lobby Rule". Washington Post. April 20, 2009.
  11. "The Good Lobbyist". Washington Post. April 22, 2006.
  12. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". White House. July 8, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  13. Heil, Emily (July 9, 2013). "White House hires lobbyist Malinowski". Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  14. "Statement for the Record by Tom Malinowski, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State" (PDF). United States Senate. September 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  15. "Senate confirms State Dept. nominee". Washington Blade. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  16. "Senate Confirms Tom Malinowski as New Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor". Human Rights First. April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  17. "Malinowski confirmed at DRL". Democracy Digest. April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  18. Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin, February 21, 2014, Free Tom Malinowski, Retrieved May 23, 2018, "...Tom is widely respected for the indispensable role he has played in defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms, from ending torture to advancing democracy ... He received wide support from Democrats and Republicans who have been united in their criticism of the administration’s ... attitude toward human rights....
  19. "A/S Malinowski Briefs Congressional Leaders on ISIL's Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iraq and Syria=". United States of America Geneva Mission. September 10, 2014.
  20. "Malinowski Testimony" (PDF). U.S. Senate. December 9, 2014.
  21. "U.S. compiling list of North Korea human rights violators". UPI. April 27, 2016.
  22. "Sanctions on N.K. leader 'just the start,' more blacklisting to come: senior U.S. diplomat". Yonhap. July 8, 2016.
  23. "Support for Gay Rights in Africa". December 29, 2015.
  24. "Welcome to the Special Envoy for LGBT Rights". Human Rights Campaign. February 27, 2015.
  25. "U.S. to Support Sri Lanka Plan to Investigate War Crimes". New York Times]]. August 26, 2015.
  26. "Obama's New Executive Order Increases Drone Transparency, Official Says". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. August 2016.
  27. Carol Morello (January 9, 2017). "Five Russians blacklisted for alleged human rights abuses". Washington Post.
  28. "US diplomat Tom Malinowski expelled from Bahrain". BBC News. July 7, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  29. "Bahrain: U.S. diplomat 'unwelcome and should immediately leave'". CNN. July 8, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  30. Schwartz, Felicia (July 14, 2014). "Tension Between Bahrain and U.S. Continues Over Diplomat's Expulsion". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  31. "Statement on the Decision by the Government of Bahrain To Find Assistant Secretary Malinowski Persona Non Grata and To Expel Him From Bahrain" (Press release). U.S. Department of State. July 7, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  32. Gordon, Michael (December 3, 2014). "Expelled U.S. Official to Return to Bahrain". New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  33. "Press Availability with A/S Tom Malinowski and A/S Anne Patterson". U.S. Department of State. December 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  34. "Former Diplomats: Trump Team Sought to Lift Sanctions on Russia". NBC News. June 1, 2017.
  35. Kamisar, Ben (October 2, 2017). "Obama State Department official to run for House in NJ". The Hill. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  36. Albert R. Hunt, May 2, 2018, Bloomberg News, Some Democratic Candidates Look Mighty Familiar, Retrieved May 15, 2018, "... Malinowski, an assistant secretary of State for President Obama and a State Department official under Clinton ... America, he believes, "is in deep trouble."..."
  37. May 27, 2018, NBC News Washington (Channel 4), Fired Up by Trump, Dozens of Former Obama Staffers Run for Office: The surge of Democratic candidates with ties to Obama has the potential to fill state and federal legislatures with like-minded allies, Retrieved May 30, 2018, "...it was the effort to take down the Affordable Care Act with no viable replacement..."
  38. Insider New Jersey, May 12, 2018, Staff writer, CD7 Democratic Challenger Malinowski Formally Opens his Main Headquarters with Pallone, Retrieved May 14, 2018, "... He’ll fight to protect the Affordable Care Act....."
  39. Friedman, Matt. "Tom Kean Jr. targets socialism in congressional campaign kickoff". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  40. David Wildstein, April 23, 2018, New Jersey Globe, CWA Endorses Malinowski, Retrieved May 15, 2018
  41. E. J. Dionne, July 15, 2018, Washington Post, Does the blue wave start in Jersey?, Retrieved July 16, 2018
  42. "New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  43. "New Jersey Primary Election Results: Seventh House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  44. "Candidates for House of Representatives For PRIMARY ELECTION 06/05/2018 Election," (PDF). July 20, 2018.
  45. Jonathan D. Salant, May 14, 2018, NJ.com, This N.J. Republican is in big trouble because of Trump. Here's what he's doing about it., Retrieved May 15, 2018
  46. "New Jersey's Seventh House District Election Results: Tom Malinowski vs. Leonard Lance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  47. "Official List: Candidates for House of Representatives: For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2018" (PDF). New Jersey Division of Elections. December 3, 2018.
  48. Moran, Tom (May 29, 2019). "Malinowski, the first Jersey House member to favor impeachment hearings, explains why". NJ.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  49. Wildstein, David (January 14, 2020). "Malinowski Endorses Biden for President". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  50. "Representative Malinowski Leads Fight To End Corruption in Washington". Tom Malinowski Congressional Web Site. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  51. "10 Years After Disastrous Citizens United Decision, Rose, Porter, Freshmen Dems Launch New 'End Corruption' Caucus". Max Rose Congressional Web Site. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  52. Pathe, Simone (March 6, 2018). "Could Past DC Residency Be Liability for Some Democrats?". Roll Call. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  53. "Kean pushing local Republicans to hit Malinowski over federal aid". New Jersey Globe. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  54. Wildstein, David (March 6, 2018). "Malinowski and the residency thing". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  55. Muscavage, Nick (November 7, 2018). "NJ elections: Democrat Tom Malinowski unseats Republican Leonard Lance in NJ's 7th Congressional District". Courier News and Home News Tribune. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
Government offices
Preceded by
Michael Posner		 Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2014–2017		 Succeeded by
Virginia L. Bennett
Acting
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Leonard Lance		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 7th congressional district
2019–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Elaine Luria		 United States Representatives by seniority
382nd		 Succeeded by
Ben McAdams
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