Thursday May 1, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced Daniel Zimmerman, President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, at the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing.  Zimmerman, a 16-year CIA officer, has served in Senator Hagerty’s office as an Executive Branch detailee since January 2024.  During President Trump’s first term, he was detailed to the White House and worked on the Abraham Accords negotiations under then-Senior Advisor Jared Kushner.

Click here to watch

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Chairman Wicker and Ranking Member Reed, thank you for holding today’s confirmation hearing.

It is my honor to introduce my good friend Daniel Zimmerman—President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.

Daniel is tailor-made for this role.

For nearly two decades, Daniel has served with distinction at the Central Intelligence Agency, the White House, and, most recently, in the United States Senate.

While many of the details of his career remain classified, I can share a few anecdotes that highlight his experience and expertise.

Daniel has risked his life in warzones, working with special operations forces out of Soviet-era bunkers in Iraq to hunt ISIS and other terrorists.

He has dealt face-to-face with Russian energy oligarchs and traveled the world—from Europe, to the Middle East, to the Indo-Pacific—on sensitive matters related to energy and trade security. 

And Daniel was one of the first people whom the White House hired to support the historic Abraham Accords, which is one of President Trump’s signature achievements from his first term and is still bearing fruit in the Middle East today.

For the last 15 months, I have had the pleasure of having Daniel on my Senate staff as a detailee.

During this time, I have found that that his tremendous leadership skills and knowledge of global issues are matched only by his humility and qualities as a colleague and a friend. 

Daniel is the right person to serve as the next Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and I urge the members of this Committee to move quickly on his nomination.

Thank you for the time this morning.