Andrew Peek was part of the Trump Landing Team at the State Department in December 2016 (see Trump Transition: Additional Agency Landing Team Members For @StateDept).
On December 8, 2017, Foreign Policy reported that Peek, a former U.S. military intelligence officer and former captain in the U.S. Army Reserve was to become the deputy assistant secretary of state covering Iran and Iraq.
Peek officially became the NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq on December 11, 2017. He replaced Chris Backemeyer who was deputy assistant secretary for Iran in 2017. Chris Backemeyer currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Assistance Coordination and Press and Public Diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Peek also replaced Joseph Pennington, a career foreign service officer who was deputy assistant secretary for Iraq (2015-18). Joe Pennington is currently the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
Click here for Peek’s official bio per state.gov.
On January 18, Axios and other media outlets report that Peek who had Fiona Hill and Tim Morrison’s job at the NSC since November 2019 has “been placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation.” Bloomberg reporter notes that “the top Russia expert on Trump’s National Security Council has left his post, escorted out of the White House on Friday.”
New from @margarettalev: "Andrew Peek, the senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, has been placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation, people familiar with the situation tell Axios." https://t.co/nYnwaREf8U
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) January 18, 2020
The top Russia expert on Trump’s National Security Council has left his post, escorted out of the White House on Friday. Andrew Peek is the third departure from the position in less than a year.https://t.co/baSyRDYZ0v
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 19, 2020
Andrew Peek, the senior director for European and Russian Affairs at the National Security Council, is now on administrative leave, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN https://t.co/q6saF6rKQR
— CNN (@CNN) January 20, 2020
Background on Peek, who sounds more political than expert. https://t.co/iejPKwDAOp
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) January 19, 2020
Not one of you knows why Andrew Peek was kicked out and it is dumb to speculate. My point is that he was a Russia desk guy with no Russia experience, and he was escorted out after two months on the job. Also, that everything Trump touches dies. https://t.co/wIPJfucXAU
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 19, 2020
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