July 13, 2015 | Quote

Trusted Hillary Clinton Aide Has a Full Plate

There are legions of economists who have worked for the Clintons over the years, and more than 200 have helped develop the current campaign’s economics platform.

The inner circle is much smaller, however. And at the center of it is a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton who has no particular background in economics.

Jake Sullivan, a 38-year-old who rose to prominence in Mrs. Clinton’s State Department, now has the challenge of distilling advice from across the Democratic Party. The resulting plan will be the foundation of a Monday policy speech in which Mrs. Clinton intends to lay out her vision.

His challenge is evident in how the campaign has been buffeted by a surprising challenge from the left in the form of independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Part of the party’s base wants to hear about government solutions for problems such as income inequality and wage stagnation, while its more centrist members emphasize prescriptions to stimulate economic growth.

While the subject material is new for Mr. Sullivan, colleagues say the process is familiar from his four years at Mrs. Clinton’s side when she was secretary of state. Those who know Mr. Sullivan, from both sides of the aisle, commend his intelligence and his ability to pull ideas from across a wide universe while shaping a policy that suits his boss. 

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Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a sharp critic of the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran, in which Mr. Sullivan played a big role, commends him for reaching out to those who dislike the direction of the negotiations.

“He engages with his critics, and that’s rare,” said Mr. Dubowitz, who added the administration should have done more to set a tough tone at the start of the talks, to allow for more concessions later.

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Issues:

Iran