Who is the current “Deputy National Security Advisor” to President Obama? Explain why he has been the recent subject of criticism.

I wonder if the wording of this question might be somewhat imprecise.  The current Deputy National Security Advisor is a woman named Avril Haines.  Your question implies that the current holder of this office is a man.  In addition, Haines has not been particularly controversial.  For these reasons, I think your question may be intended to refer to a person holding another position.

I think your question is probably meant to refer to the current Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.  This is a different office than the Deputy National Security Advisor.  This office is essentially a speech writing and public relations job.  The man who currently holds this office is named Ben Rhodes.

Rhodes has been the subject of controversy within the past few weeks.  On May 5, 2016, the New York Times Magazine ran a profile of Rhodes.  In that profile, he seemed to brag about misleading reporters (and, thereby, the American people) about the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran over that country’s nuclear program.  The administration made a deal with Iran that many conservatives, in particular, felt was too weak.  They felt that the administration let Iran off too easily.  When Rhodes seemed to say that he had misled reporters and the public about the negotiations, critics of the deal seized on that as evidence that the administration was trying to trick people into accepting an agreement that was bad for the US and its allies.  It is for this reason that Ben Rhodes has been the recent subject of criticism.