Colby Jenkins, who came up just a few votes short in his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy last year, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to a senior job in the Department of Defense managing counterterrorism operations.
Jenkins is currently serving in an acting capacity as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, meaning, according to the Pentagon, he will oversee and advocate for special operations forces and their activities and will advise the secretary of defense on special operations and irregular warfare issues.
Jenkins was initially sworn in Jan. 20 as deputy assistant secretary of defense for irregular warfare and counterterrorism, but was promoted to the assistant secretary position days later on an interim basis.
“We took our oath immediately after President Trump took his … and then we got to work!” Jenkins posted on his campaign Facebook page. “We are grateful and excited for this incredible opportunity to serve our. nation.”
Jenkins is a native of Roosevelt and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. After commissioning, Jenkins became a Green Beret and led a Special Forces team in Afghanistan and later during counternarcotic operations and hostage rescues in South America, according to his official biography. He also has worked as a liaison in Congress and as a counterterrorism policy advisor to the secretary of defense
After leaving the active duty military, Jenkins served in the National Guard, taught as an adjunct professor at George Washington University and worked for Silicon Valley companies, including Google.
Last year, he challenged Maloy for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District, losing the primary by just 176 votes.
Jenkins challenged the results in court, contending that a number of ballots mailed in the southern part of the state should have been counted but were not because they were sent to Las Vegas for processing and missed the postmark deadline. The Utah Supreme Court rejected the challenge, saying the clerks did nothing wrong and the law makes voters responsible for making sure their ballots are mailed in time or dropped off in a drop box.
After the campaign, Jenkins went to work for Elon Musk’s America PAC, which spent more than $171 million in the last election, part of more than a quarter billion dollars that Musk spent to help elect Trump. Musk had also donated $10,000 to Jenkins’ congressional campaign after Jenkins was endorsed by Sen. Mike Lee.
Lee and Musk also used Jenkins’ legal challenges as an example of the need to do away with mail-in voting. Musk gave Jenkins another $3,300 and an additional $16,600 to a joint fundraising committee between Jenkins and the Utah Republican Party.
