Morris Amitay (“Morrie”) began his Washington career in the Executive Office of the President (now OMB) during the Kennedy Administration following his graduation from the Harvard Law School. He also received a Masters’ Degree from Harvard in Public Administration, and earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia.

Amitay was appointed as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State in 1962. During his seven years in Foreign Service he received three promotions in rank and served as a Vice Consul in Italy, as Senior Staff Assistant for the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, and as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa. Amitay’s specialization in the State Department was Political-Military.

Amitay left the State Department in early 1969 to work in the U.S. Congress as a legislative assistant in the House of Representatives. The following year he moved over to the U.S. Senate in the same capacity for Senator Abe Ribicoff of Connecticut. For five years, Mr. Amitay handled defense, energy, and foreign affairs issues and dealt extensively with the State and Defense Departments at the highest levels, as well as with a number of foreign governments.

At the end of 1974, Amitay left Capitol Hill to become Executive Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – the so-called “pro-Israel lobby”. In this role, he frequently testified at Congressional hearings on foreign policy and national security issues and led successful lobbying efforts on issues affecting U.S. – Israel relations. During his six-year tenure as head of AIPAC, the organization was described in the New York Times as “the most powerful, best-run, and effective foreign policy interest group in Washington”.

In 1981, Amitay, a member of the District of Columbia Bar, entered the private sector and established a law/lobbying firm on Capitol Hill.  Utilizing his wide range of contacts in both the Executive and Legislative branches and his broad-based experience, Mr. Amitay has developed an excellent reputation for achieving tangible results for his national security-oriented clients. He has been described by the Washingtonian magazine as an “insider” and “heavy hitter” with unique access to prominent figures in both the Legislative and Executive branches.  A 2006 Washington Post Magazine article commenting on Amitay’s activities on Capitol Hill stated, “even among his peers his success is something of a legend.” 

Amitay serves as Vice Chairman of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a 20,000 member national organization and is on the Board of the Center for Security Policy. He is also the founder and treasurer of the Washington PAC which over the past two decades has contributed almost three million dollars to Congressional candidates on a bipartisan basis.  His quarterly political newsletter is widely read and highly regarded on Capitol Hill.  Amitay’s expertise and advice on national security issues has been sought by numerous U.S. Senators and Presidential candidates of both political parties.

Mr. Amitay has addressed audiences at the Council on Foreign Relations, leading universities, the American Enterprise Institute, and the U.S. Naval Academy on the political process and U.S. foreign policy. For the past twenty-five years he has also written a regular column on foreign policy and defense topics for a number of weekly newspapers and on-line. Amitay is frequently quoted in the national print media and is often interviewed by national and international media, including CNN, Fox News, BBC and NPR.