Victoria Nuland
| Victoria Nuland | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Spokesperson for the United States Department of State | |
| In office May 2011 – 2013 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Philip J. Crowley |
| Succeeded by | Jen Psaki |
| 18th United States Permanent Representative to NATO | |
| In office June 20, 2005 – May 2, 2008 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | R. Nicholas Burns |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Volker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1961 (age 51–52) New York City, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Kagan |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Victoria Nuland (born 1961) is a US diplomat and former spokesperson for the United States Department of State.[1]
Contents |
Career[edit]
Nuland has had a long career in the Foreign Service and has worked for both Democratic and Republican administrations. During the Bill Clinton administration, Nuland was chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott before moving on to serve as deputy director for former Soviet Union affairs. During the George W. Bush administration, she served as the principal deputy foreign policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and then as U.S. ambassador to NATO. During the Barack Obama administration, she was special envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe before assuming her current position as State Department spokesperson in summer 2011.[2] She was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in May 2013.[3]
Controversy[edit]
Nuland has emerged as one of the key figures who has been accused by various sources of initiating a cover up of the 2012 Benghazi attack. After reading the first draft of the State Department talking points that stated that the incident was a coordinated terrorist attack, she sent a message writing that they “could be abused by members of Congress to beat the State Department for not paying attention to agency warnings so why would we want to seed the Hill.”[4] After this memo UN Ambassador Susan Rice was given talking points that formed the basis of her statements on This Week with George Stephanopoulos,[5] Meet the Press,[6] State of the Union with Candy Crowley,[7] and Fox News Sunday.[8][9] Conservative critics have argued Nuland's nomination as Assistant Secretary of State may come up against firm opposition from Republicans, based on her role in the Benghazi controversy.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Nuland is the daughter of Yale bioethics and medicine professor Sherwin B. Nuland, the family's original surname being Nudelman. She graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1979 and has a B.A. from Brown University. Nuland is married to historian Robert Kagan, with whom she has two children. Nuland speaks Russian, French, and some Chinese.
References[edit]
- ^ "Bureau of Public Affairs Front Office Changes".
- ^ "Victoria Nuland to be State Department spokesman". Foreign Policy. May 16, 2011.
- ^ "Obama nominates Nuland for assistant secretary of state". Politico. May 23, 2013.
- ^ 'Benghazi attack: State Department pushed for changes in the administration’s talking points" Washington Post May 10, 2013. Retrieved on May 10, 2013
- ^ "'This Week' Transcript: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice". ABC News. September 16, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "September 16: Benjamin Netanyahu, Susan Rice, Keith Ellison, Peter King, Bob Woodward, Jeffrey Goldberg, Andrea Mitchell". NBC News. September 16, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Interview with Benjamin Netanyahu; Interview with Susan Rice; Interview with Nancy Pelosi; Interview with Rudy Giuliani". CNN. September 16, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Amb. Susan Rice, Rep. Mike Rogers discuss violence against Americans in the Middle East". Fox News. September 16, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ Tapper, Jake (September 16, 2012). "Ambassador Susan Rice: Libya Attack Not Premeditated". ABC News. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Fox Smears State Department Official Amid Nomination For Role In Benghazi Talking Points". Media Matters. May 24, 2013.
External links[edit]
- Official Biography - from the U.S. State Department (2013)
- Official Biography – from the U.S. State Department (2012) (No longer available-removed from State Department's website)
- Official Biography – from the U.S. State Department (2008)
- Victoria Nuland biography – from the U.S. NATO Mission website
- C-SPAN Q&A interview with Nuland, June 18, 2006
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by R. Nicholas Burns |
U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO 2005–2008 |
Succeeded by Kurt Volker |
