In US lobby game, India bets on Trump adviser, Pakistan on his ex-bodyguard: Who are Jason Miller and Keith Schiller

Jason Miller (L), Keith Schiller (R) - File Photos

Amid rising tensions, both India and Pakistan have launched aggressive lobbying efforts in Washington. The two countries have turned to familiar faces from Donald Trump’s inner circle. India has roped in the US President’s former advisor Jason Miller, while Pakistan has hired his former bodyguard Keith Schiller – two vastly different choices that reveal the stark contrast in each nation’s diplomatic playbook.

India chooses a strategist and political insider

Roping in Jason Miller is a strategic move by India: he is a veteran Republican political operative who served as the chief spokesman for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and later became a senior advisor during the 2020 race. Known for his communication savvy and connections across right-wing political circles, Miller remains closely tied to Trump’s inner circle and is a regular presence in conservative media.

In 2022, it was Miller who announced Trump’s plan to run for the 2024 US presidential race on Stephen Bannon’s radio show.

According to Politico, veteran lobbyist Miller will represent India in Washington, D.C., for the first time in years. His firm, SHW Partners LLC, will be paid $150,000 (around Rs 1.3 crore) per month for the work.

More than just a campaign hand, Miller has a deep understanding of how Washington works, particularly the levers of influence in the Trump-aligned Republican ecosystem. Miller’s close ties to Trump could give India an edge in its diplomatic efforts against Pakistan.

“This is not a new practice. This has been in place for several decades and under successive governments since the 1950s. These firms have been regularly engaged by the Embassy as per the requirements of the situation. All such engagements are available in the public domain,” Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said at a recent press briefing.

Pakistan picks Trump’s ex-bodyguard

In stark contrast, Pakistan has tapped Keith Schiller to represent its interests in Washington. Schiller’s qualifications are, to put it mildly, unconventional. A former New York police detective, Schiller rose to prominence as Donald Trump’s longtime bodyguard and head of security before briefly serving as Director of Oval Office Operations during Trump’s presidency.

While Schiller is known to be personally loyal to Trump, his experience in diplomacy, policy, or international affairs is virtually non-existent. His name became infamous during the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 US election, particularly for accompanying a Russian delegation to Trump’s Moscow hotel in 2013, a detail cited in the Steele dossier. Though unproven, the associations have long shadowed his public image.

Pakistan’s appointment of Schiller appears more symbolic than strategic - a last-ditch effort to buy access rather than build influence. It highlights Islamabad’s lack of credible voices and strategic thinkers capable of navigating complex international diplomacy. And in a time when Pakistan faces international scrutiny over its continued harbouring of terror groups, the optics of hiring a former bouncer instead of a seasoned diplomat only adds to its image crisis.

Islamabad was quick to copy India’s move of dispatching high-level delegation to Washington and other global capitals, trying to shape international opinion in the wake of heightened tensions. India has framed its military action under Operation Sindoor as a targeted strike on terror infrastructure in PoK, citing decades of cross-border attacks and the Pahalgam massacre as the latest provocation.

Pakistan, in turn, has resorted to its familiar mix of denial, deflection, and blame-shifting, accusing India of aggression while refusing to take responsibility for groups it continues to shelter. The lobbying race in Washington now becomes another front in the post-Pahalgam diplomatic war.