People in the news

Robert Rangel

Chief of Staff to the Defense Secretary

Why He Matters

In February 2010, Time magazine called Rangel "the most influential unknown man in Washington."

A former Republican staff director for the House Armed Services Committee, Rangel served former Bush Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld before Robert Gates came aboard and stayed as Pentagon chief under President Obama.

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At a Glance

  • Career History: Staff director, House Armed Services Committee (N/A-2005)
  • Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
  • Alma Mater: University of Kentucky
 

Path to Power

A native of Lexington, Ky., Rangel first arrived in Washington as a staffer for former Rep. Larry Hopkins (R-Ky.).

Rangel spent 18 years at the House Armed Services Committee, but somehow managed to keep a low profile, rarely giving interviews, despite rating staff profiles in all the inside-the-Beltway newspapers and magazines. He had worked as GOP staff director for former committee chairmen Bob Stump (R-Ariz.) and Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).

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Additional Resources

  1. Rubin, Elizabeth, Time, "The Survivor, What is Robert Gates Really Fighting For?" Feb. 3, 2010
  2. National Journal Government Executive, The Decision Makers: Defense Department, Aug. 26, 2005
  3. DiMasco, Jen, Politico, "The Gatekeeper: Robert Rangel," April 24, 2009
  4. Flaherty, Anne, Associated Press, Former Hill Staffer Takes on the Pentagon Budget
  5. National Journal Government Executive, The Decision Makers: Defense Department, Aug. 26, 2005
  6. Top Secret America, The Washington Post, August 2010