Raj Shah, who most recently served as co-founding partner and Managing Director of America Rising LLC, where he developed the organization’s Hillary Clinton opposition research book, has been appointed as new Research Director and Deputy Communications Director of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

A graduate of Cornell, Raj worked on Senate and presidential campaigns and served in the Office of residential Personnel during the administration of former President George W Bush.

“Raj will take the helm of a top-notch Research Department as we prepare to defeat Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in 2016 and to hold them accountable for their records. Raj is the expert on the subject of all things Clinton, and his expertise will be an asset to our party,” RNC chairman Reince Priebus said.

“Americans cannot afford a third term of the Obama administration, but that’s exactly what we’ll get if another Democrat wins the White House in 2016,” said Shah.

“RNC Research will ensure that the American people will be informed of the facts, the failures of Democrat leadership, and the Clintons’ long history of lies, shady dealings and distortions,” Shah said.

Appointment of Shah to a key RNC position is seen as an effort by the Republicans to rope in Indian-Americans, who of late have emerged as a major political donor and highly influential ethnic community in the US.