The ex-chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has joined retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson’s presidential campaign as a foreign policy adviser, Politico reported Tuesday.
George Birnbaum will work with Carson “to present bold strategies to bolster America’s presence in the world,” a statement provided to Politico said.
Birnbaum served as Netanyahu’s chief of staff for a year and a half after consulting on the prime minister’s 1998 campaign.
The news comes after Carson has for weeks been dogged by high profile missteps while discussing foreign policy. Last month, a campaign adviser told the New York Times the candidate hadn’t picked up “one iota of intelligent information” about international politics, despite numerous briefings.
