Yet another pro‑Israel Christian has assumed a senior and influential position in the Trump administration. Joshua Simmons, who made a name for himself in Israel defending the Jewish state against slanderous charges at the International Court of Justice, has been appointed general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, placing him at the legal core of US intelligence and national‑security decision‑making.

While Simmons has never publicly adopted the label of “pro-Israel Christian,” let alone Christian Zionist, nor does he openly emphasize his faith in his professional field (though he did describe himself as Christian in a 2013 interview), his background speaks for itself—suggesting a man driven by faith and dedicated to defending Israel and the Jewish people.

In his new role, Simmons will serve as the top legal authority inside the Central Intelligence Agency, responsible for overseeing the agency’s most sensitive legal questions during a time of global realignment and intensifying geopolitical challenges.

His elevation reflects a broader shift inside the Trump administration toward unapologetic defense of allies, particularly Israel, against lawfare and diplomatic coercion.

From The Hague to Langley

Prior to his CIA appointment, Simmons served as principal deputy legal adviser at the US State Department, and earlier as a partner at Wiley Rein LLP, where he co‑led the firm’s international disputes practice.

His name became widely known in Israel and pro‑Israel legal circles in 2025, when he represented the United States at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, forcefully pushing back against efforts to impose new, politically motivated “legal obligations” on Israel during its war against Hamas.

At the ICJ, Simmons articulated a clear position: international law cannot be twisted into a weapon to protect terrorist organizations or punish democracies for defending their citizens. His arguments emphasized Israel’s right—and obligation—to defend itself against Hamas, while highlighting how international institutions are increasingly exploited for ideological warfare rather than justice.

He also rebutted charges brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Simmons dismissed the claim as an exploitation of the Genocide Convention for political aims, asserting that South Africa was “appropriating the language of human rights in service of a campaign against the existence of a member state of the United Nations.”

His performance was widely praised in pro-Israel circles, with many noting both the legal clarity and moral conviction he brought to the defense of the Jewish state.

Holocaust justice and moral framework

Simmons’s professional record also includes a quieter but morally significant achievement: his involvement in negotiating a US–France agreement on Holocaust deportation claims, which enabled compensation for Holocaust survivors and their families.

That work placed him at the intersection of law, history, and moral accountability—an area where legal precision alone is insufficient without a guiding ethical framework.

It is in this context that Simmons’s Christian background becomes relevant—not as a political slogan, but as part of a coherent personal profile.

A Christian worldview—on the page and in practice

Beyond government service, Simmons is also a published novelist, writing under the pen name J.B. Simmons. His books—primarily in the thriller and speculative‑fiction genres—are openly marketed as Christian fiction and are categorized as such by major retailers, including Amazon.

The novels explore themes of moral choice, good versus evil, human agency, accountability, and truth under pressure—all hallmarks of Christian storytelling. The faith dimension is not incidental; it is central to the genre in which he writes and the audience to which the books are directed.

While Simmons does not publicly sermonize about his beliefs, the combination of:

• Christian‑themed fiction written under a consistent pen name,
• explicit classification of his works as Christian novels,and
• a professional record emphasizing moral clarity in defense of Israel and Holocaust justice,

forms a coherent picture of a faith‑informed worldview that translates into public service.

Why this appointment matters

The CIA general counsel is not a symbolic role. It shapes how intelligence operations are reviewed, authorized, constrained—or defended—under US and international law. Simmons’s appointment signals that the administration is placing experienced legal hands at the center of intelligence policy, at a moment when Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and international legal bodies increasingly intersect.

For Israel, the significance is clear: an American official who has already demonstrated willingness to confront legal hostility head‑on is now positioned inside one of Washington’s most powerful institutions.

For critics who insist that faith‑based support for Israel is emotional or unsophisticated, Simmons represents the opposite: a lawyer’s lawyer, fluent in international statutes, treaty law, and institutional process—who nevertheless operates from a moral framework that refuses to treat Israel as a uniquely illegitimate state.

A broader pattern

Simmons’s rise fits into a broader pattern within the Trump administration: Christian officials who support Israel not as a talking point, but as a strategic and moral imperative.

See: Trump nominations ‘a big middle finger’ to anti-Israel progressives

This does not mean policy is driven by theology. It means that individuals shaped by a Judeo‑Christian moral tradition are increasingly unwilling to accept the inversion of values that dominates international forums—where terrorists are treated as victims and democracies as aggressors.

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