Since January 2021, Maher Bitar has served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs on the National Security Council (NSC) staff of the White House. From 2017 to early 2021, Mr. Bitar served as General Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the U.S. Congress. Prior to that, Mr. Bitar served as Deputy to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a standing member of the Deputies Committee, which coordinates national security and foreign policy across U.S. Government departments and agencies. While a career Department of State official, Mr. Bitar served previously on the NSC staff and as a diplomat focused on Middle East peace efforts.