US President-elect Donald Trump announces his decision to appoint his former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus as his deputy Mideast envoy.
Ortagus will work under Steve Witkoff, who was one of the first appointments Trump made. Both of them are Jewish.
Trump is far from effusive in his Truth Social post announcing the decision.
Ortagus “fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” he says. He doesn’t get into specifics, but Ortagus did back Nikki Haley’s Republican presidential run against Trump in the previous election.
“These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens.”
“She will hopefully be an asset to Steve, a great leader and talent, as we seek to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region. I expect great results, and soon!” he adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, January 4, 2025
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