Rubio taps MAGA media figure as undersecretary |
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will appoint Darren Beattie as acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, two people briefed on the plans told Semafor. Beattie, a speechwriter in Trump’s first term who founded Revolver News, was fired in 2018 for attending a conference with white nationalists. (He wasn’t quoted saying anything notable there, and was later appointed to a federal commission by Trump.) He’s a far cry from the brand of pre-Trump conservatism Rubio once embodied, and marks the ascendancy of MAGA intellectuals within the bureaucracy. “Darren personifies the America First Right — smart, tough, relentless — with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude,” the former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said in a text message. Beattie would need to be confirmed by the Senate to keep the post indefinitely. — Ben Smith |