Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) was appointed to serve as a commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, or the Helsinki Commission.
The Helsinki Commission, founded in 1976, was created to advance democracy and human rights through military, economic, and environmental cooperation among all 57-participating states.
“It is a great honor to be selected to serve as a Commissioner on the U.S. Helsinki Commission,” Fitzpatrick said. “The promotion of global cooperation and security initiatives with our allies is vital to the preservation of democracy and human rights throughout the world. I appreciate Leader McCarthy’s confidence and look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate, along with the Executive Branch, to fight for our shared values.”
Fitzpatrick is a former FBI agent who served in Kiev, Ukraine, and Iraq as an al-Qaeda interrogator. He brings significant foreign policy and global security experience to the commission. He has served for two years on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Before Congressman Fitzpatrick was elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he admirably served the United States overseas as an FBI Supervisory Special Agent in Kiev, Ukraine and in Iraq as an al-Qaeda interrogator as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who appointed Fitzpatrick to the post, said. “Brian’s commitment to promoting security abroad provides him with the necessary experience to serve on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, and security abroad. Brian has been a leader on these issues for decades, and I look forward to seeing him expand that role as a Commissioner to the CSCE.”
The commission is made up of 21 members, including Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Gwen Moore (D-WI).