Who are Washington's most powerful, least famous people? : r/PoliticalDiscussion

Back in 2011, the New Republic published a list of Washington's Most Powerful, Least Famous People. It was a really interesting article, ignoring tired stalwarts like Gates, McConnell, and Clinton, instead focusing on relatively obscure heavyweights like the then-deputy secretary of defense, Ash Carter; the publisher of Politico, Robert Allbrighton; and the deputy chief of staff responsible for much of Obamacare, Nancy Ann-Deparle. Unfortunately, there haven't been any contemporary reboots of the article, and given the state of TNR, aren't likely to be. I was wondering who you thought were some of the powerful but unknown figures of 2017, in Trump's Washington? They can be influential political aides to faceless civil servants to important private sector figures, but they've got to be someone who most people haven't heard of -- that means no Bannon, no Kushner, no Schumer, nor anyone else you'd see on the front page. Choose a heavyweight, and explain what makes them interesting. Julia

saved by

• Victoria Ren