From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Top Trump aides rush to defend Witkoff after CNN profile on ‘lone ranger’ Mideast envoy
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Top Trump administration officials are rushing to defend US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff after CNN published a profile that characterized him as a “lone ranger.”
“Doing this shuttle diplomacy without a single expert is definitely unusual. I really can’t explain that. It’s odd and it’s not ideal,” CNN quotes a longtime US official as saying of Witkoff.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweets: “Steve Witkoff is an incredible leader in the America First movement. Americans are lucky to have him working on their behalf to bring our hostages home and negotiate peace around the world. When will these reporters and ‘anonymous sources’ stop trying to create drama where there is none?”
“DC ‘foreign policy experts’ who have spent their careers getting it wrong, while they perpetuate outdated talking points, attack Steve Witkoff because they are envious he has achieved more in 88 days than they have accomplished in their entire careers,” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz adds.
“Once again @CNN finds so-called ‘veterans’ and long-time’ experts to smear a patriot who is using his great abilities to make the US and world safer,” US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes tweets.
The Times of Israel Community.