Editing Rob Simmons (section)

==Early political career==
Simmons joined the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] in 1969, working as an Operations Officer for a decade, including five years on assignment overseas in East Asia. He ran the Phu Yen Province Interrogation Center from November 1970 to June 1972, according to an article by Douglas Valentine in ''Everything You Know is Wrong'', and he "mounted numerous paramilitary and psychological warfare operations against" the Viet Cong.<ref>{{cite book|last=Valentine|first=Douglas|title=Everything You Know is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies|year=2002|publisher=Disinformation Company|isbn=978-0-9713942-0-9|editor=Russ Kick|page=[https://archive.org/details/everythingyoukno00kick/page/40 40]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/everythingyoukno00kick/page/40}}</ref> Simmons was awarded the CIA's [[Agency Seal Medal]] in 1985. In 1979, he earned a [[Master of Public Administration]] from [[Harvard]]'s [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]].

In 1979, he became a staff member for Senator [[John Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]], and then the Staff Director for the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] in 1981 under the chairmanship of Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] (R-AZ).<ref name="congress1">{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S001152|title=SIMMONS, Robert (Rob) – Biographical Information|publisher=|access-date=2009-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803001057/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S001152|archive-date=2014-08-03|url-status=live}}</ref>

Simmons then became a professor of political science at Yale College and at the University of Connecticut. In 1991, he became a member of the [[Connecticut House of Representatives]], replacing incumbent Frank Turek who died in office.<ref>Associated Press. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103091273/ "Simmons wins Assembly election"], [[Hartford Courant]], June 27, 1991, page A14.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stoningtongop.org/our-story.html|title = Our Story}}</ref> He represented the 43rd district before running for Congress.<ref name="congress1"/><ref name="stonington-ct.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.stonington-ct.gov/board-of-selectmen/pages/rob-simmons-biography |title=Rob Simmons Biography &#124; Stonington CT |access-date=2018-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619190028/http://www.stonington-ct.gov/board-of-selectmen/pages/rob-simmons-biography |archive-date=2018-06-19 |url-status=live }}</ref>