Washington [US], April 12 : US State Secretary Antony Blinken has appointed Mathew Miller as the new spokesperson for the State Department.
Miller was the former National Security Council official and was the Justice Department spokesman during President Barack Obama's administration.
In a statement released by the State Department on Tuesday (local time), Blinken said he benefitted greatly from Miller's wisdom, his experience in government, and his deep understanding of foreign policy when he was tapped to head up my nomination.
"Matt stepped up once again in the early months of Russia's further invasion of Ukraine when he took leave to join the National Security Council to lead our whole of government communications and outreach as part of our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and defence," Blinken said
Miller previously served as director of the Office of Public Affairs and spokesperson for Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice making him "no stranger to navigating and communicating on complex, global challenges like those we face today," Blinken said.
Blinken also thanked Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel for stepping in as the Acting Spokesperson and as Principal Deputy Spokesperson.
"Matt, along with Vedant and the rest of the Office of the Spokesperson, will continue the Department's commitment to access and transparency," Blinken said.
Miller succeeds Ned Price, who Blinken had in an announcement last month said is leaving the role to transition to a role working directly for Blinken.
Price began to work as a US Department of State spokesperson on January 20, 2021.
Blinken said that Price had started holding Department's daily press briefings within days of taking on the role, and has held over 200 briefings since then.
"Ned began as Spokesperson on January 20, 2021. Within days of taking on the role, he restored the Department's daily press briefings, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy," the US State Secretary said.
Blinken said, "Ned's firm grasp of the policies underlying our messaging made him that much more effective in his role. On a personal level, I have constantly benefited from his counsel, as have so many members of the Department. Fortunately, I'll be able to continue to do that, as Ned will continue to serve at State, working directly for me."
He noted that Price has been a face and voice of US foreign policy and performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. He also thanked Ned Price for his remarkable service.
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