Brett McGurk American diplomat. Country: USA

1. American Diplomat with Extensive Experience
2. Extensive Experience in Resolving Complex Issues
3. Heroism and Commitment to Public Service
4. A Scandal and Controversy
5. The Fallout and Political Backlash

American Diplomat with Extensive Experience

Brett McGurk is an American diplomat who has served as a senior advisor on Iraqi affairs to two United States presidents - George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was nominated by President Obama to be the United States Ambassador to Iraq in the spring of 2012. However, a scandal surrounding leaked correspondence between McGurk and his wife Gina Chon forced him to withdraw his candidacy. This decision came after six Republican senators demanded that Obama remove McGurk from the list of candidates.

Extensive Experience in Resolving Complex Issues

Despite the controversy, McGurk has a wealth of experience working in both Republican and Democratic administrations. He has been involved in resolving challenging and sensitive issues between the United States and Iraq. His dedication and commitment to public service are unquestionable.

Heroism and Commitment to Public Service

In the late 1990s, while working at the law firm 'Cravath' during the summer, McGurk and a colleague saved two drowning women at a beach. After graduating from Columbia Law School, McGurk decided to dedicate his legal career to public service. He worked as a law clerk for Judge Dennis Jacobs and the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. McGurk also served as a legal advisor in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the National Security Council. He provided counsel to the last two ambassadors to Iraq, Ryan Crocker and Christopher Hill.

A Scandal and Controversy

However, McGurk's many years of promoting U.S. interests in Iraq, often at great personal risk, were overshadowed by the scandal that erupted when hackers leaked his correspondence with Gina Chon. The messages, dating back to 2008 when McGurk worked at the National Security Council and Chon was a correspondent for 'The Wall Street Journal' in Iraq, revealed a romantic relationship between McGurk and Chon. It was alleged that Chon provided McGurk access to unpublished materials from the newspaper and that McGurk advised Chon on which individuals to interview. Chon's actions were said to have violated the 'Dow Jones' company code of conduct, which oversees the publication of the newspaper.

The Fallout and Political Backlash

After the scandal emerged, Chon resigned without providing any comments. At the time of the affair, McGurk was married. The discovered correspondence revealed that he began cheating on his wife during the difficult negotiations of 2008 on a security agreement between the U.S. and Iraq. McGurk later divorced and married Chon. In 2012, when their extramarital affair became public, lawmakers expressed their dissatisfaction with President Obama's nomination of McGurk as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. They accused him of lack of foresight and deemed him unfit for the impending role. The identity of McGurk's replacement for the position remains unknown.