There was a reason that Rahul 'Richard' Verma, currently a partner with Steptoe & Johnson LLP -- a top-notch international law firm in Washington, DC, was seated just behind President-elect Barack Obama's Secretary of State designate Senator Hillary Clinton [Images] during her confirmation process before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday and within whispering distance to daughter Chelsea in the front row of the hearing room.

Verma, who, until recently was the highest-ranking Indian American Congressional aide on Capitol Hill, would soon become Clinton's top aide and will be nominated Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs by President Obama, sources told rediff.com.

This would make him the highest-ranking Indian American ever in the US Department of State.

Over a month ago, Verma was appointed as one of the leads of the Agency Review Team overseeing the US Department of Defence for President-elect Barack Obama's [Images] Transition.

Verma, the erstwhile senior national security adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, at the time told rediff.com that he was "on leave from Steptoe & Johnson for a few weeks" to fulfil this assignment on the Obama-Biden transition.

Earlier, Verma, had been appointed to the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism [Images], but the Obama transition had said he could remain on this Commission even as he worked as a member of the Pentagon [Images] Agency Review Team.

Verma had been appointed to this Congressional Commission by the Congressional leadership comprising House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reid, House Republican Leader John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Commission, established by House Resolution 1, implements a key recommendation of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission and builds on the Congressional commitment to address the threat that proliferation of weapons of mass destruction poses to the United States.

Verma, once nominated to the Assistant Secretary of State position by President Obama after he assumes office, will need to be confirmed by the Senate, but that is expected to be a formality considering his impeccable track record and closeness to several of the senior US lawmakers.

A veteran of the US Air Force [Images], during this stint as principal national security and foreign policy adviser to Reid, Verma was responsible for setting the national security agenda and developing a legislative strategy in the Senate.

He was also the senior defence and foreign policy liaison to key Senate committees, the office of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the White House.

Verma, was also the point man in terms of communications and political advice to the Majority Leader, Committee chairmen and members of the Democratic Caucus. At the time, he worked on Capitol Hill, Verma had Top Secret/Secure compartmentalised information security clearance.