Morris Amitay (“Morrie”) has more than three decades of Washington lobbying experience successfully representing a range of  corporations and advocacy organizations involved in a variety of issues requiring Congressional support. He has been described by the Washington Magazine as "an insider” and "heavy hitter" with close connections both in Congress and the Administration. A 2006 Washington Post Magazine article commenting on Amitay’s activities on Capitol Hill asserted that, “even among his peers his success is something of a legend.” His small firm, with its strategic location on Capitol Hill, has developed an excellent track record of achieving tangible results for its clients.    

BIOGRAPHY

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

After his appointment as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State, 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, with his specialization at State being Political-Military.

Amitay left the State Department after seven years to work 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). 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 DC Bar, entered the private sector and established the Morris J. Amitay, P.C. 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 developed an excellent reputation for achieving tangible results for his clients.

Amitay serves as Vice Chairman of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a 20,000 member national organization, is on the Board of the Center for Security Policy, and serves on the Committee on the Present Danger. He is also the founder and treasurer of the Washington Political Action Committee which has contributed more than three million dollars to Congressional candidates on a non-partisan basis over the past three decades .  His Washington PAC quarterly political newsletter is widely read and highly regarded on Capitol Hill.  Amitay’s expertise and advice on foreign and 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. He has also written regular columns 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 has been interviewed by national and international media, including CNN, Fox News, VOA, and NPR.