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Matthew Miller (spokesperson)

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Matthew Miller
30th Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 24, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyVedant Patel
Preceded byNed Price
Personal details
Born
Matthew Alan Miller

1973 or 1974 (age 50–51)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin

Matthew Alan Miller (born 1973 or 1974)[1] is an American public official who has served as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State since 2023. A longtime Democratic Party communications operative, he has previously served in the Obama administration and for multiple Democratic presidential campaigns.

Early life and education

Miller was born in 1973 or 1974 to his mother, a management analyst for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and his father, a pastor.[1] He graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin.[1][2]

Career

Miller has worked for Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, as well as the 2004 Kerry and the 2012 Obama presidential campaigns.[2]

During the Obama administration, Miller headed the Office of Public Affairs at the Department of Justice,[3] and served as the spokesman for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.[4]

After the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Miller was part of the Biden presidential transition.[5]

During the early days of the Biden administration, he led the efforts to get Antony Blinken's nomination as U.S. Secretary of State confirmed.[6] In 2022, he coordinated communications efforts regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the U.S. National Security Council.[4]

Miller then worked for management and communications firm Vianovo, while also appearing as an analyst on MSNBC.[6]

On April 11, 2023, Miller was named as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State, succeeding Ned Price.[4] He started in this new position on April 24, 2023.[2]

Miller has been responsible for communicating the State Department's public policy positions during the Israel–Hamas war. At a press conference on the matter, after he stated the U.S. "doesn't dictate to any country what it must do", a journalist interjected "Unless you invade them." Miller's laughter prompted Al Jazeera to run the following headline: "US official laughs at question on invading other countries".[7] While answering questions pertaining to the Gaza death toll, Miller was accused by a man understood to be journalist Sam Husseiniof of "smirking". Miller replied "Absolutely not" and that he wouldn't "entertain" the accusation.[8] Several months after the "smirking" incident, Miller was rebuked by Matt Lee of the Associated Press, for laughing while answering a question about U.S. provided aid not reaching Gaza.[9] The joking by Miller was further criticized by author Mark O'Connell in a piece for The Irish Times devoted to Miller's conduct; O'Connell attributed Miller's laughter to, "his apparent disregard for the humanity of the people forced to live, and to die, amid the savagery of Israel's assault."[10]

Miller called United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728 "non-binding", although stating it should be enforced.[11] After Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese presented a report concluding that Israel's assault on Gaza has met the threshold of genocide, Miller said that the U.S. had "for a longstanding period of time opposed the mandate of [Albanese]" and alleged that Albanese had a "history of anti-Semitic comments".[12][13]

In the early stages of the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Miller stated that a U.S. citizen from Michigan who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, was not a U.S. citizen but instead a legal permanent resident.[14] This prompted criticism from the Council on American–Islamic Relations, and a correction from the State Department, who confirmed Jawad's U.S. citizenship.[15]

Personal life

Miller married his second wife in 2010. His first marriage ended in a divorce.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Megan Bartley, Matthew Miller". The New York Times. July 23, 2010. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Matthew Miller". United States Department of State. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Former NSC official Matthew Miller named as U.S. State Dept spokesperson". Reuters. April 12, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Lee, Matthew (April 11, 2023). "Blinken names ex-NSC official to be new State Dept spokesman". Associated Press. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Tarar, Eman Mudassar (April 12, 2023). "Matthew Miller appointed as US State Department Spokesperson". The Diplomatic Insight. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lippman, Daniel (April 10, 2023). "Biden eyes seasoned Dem operative to be State spokesperson". Politico. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "US official laughs at question on invading other countries". Al Jazeera. February 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Dawson, Joe (July 9, 2024). "State Department spokesman accused of 'smirking' while discussing Gaza deaths". The Independent. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  9. ^ https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/world/i-suspect-that-the-levity-is-a-little-bit-inappropriate/video/3fc3331847178ac8ea7f6b7ab487b113
  10. ^ https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024/11/08/matthew-miller-has-the-most-despicable-job-in-the-us-but-it-seems-like-he-is-enjoying-it/
  11. ^ "Department Press Briefing – March 26, 2024". U.S. Department of State. March 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "UN expert defiant amid threats after Israel 'genocide' finding". France 24. Agence France-Presse. March 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Johnson, Jake (March 28, 2024). "State Department Spokesman Urged to Resign Over 'Despicable' Attack on UN Expert". Common Dreams. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  14. ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/american-killed-lebanon-was-us-citizen-state-dept-says-2024-10-04/
  15. ^ https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/13/us/american-killed-lebanon-israeli-airstrike/index.html
Political offices
Preceded by Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
2023–present 		Incumbent
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