Matthew Miller | |
---|---|
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State | |
Assumed office April 24, 2023 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Deputy | Vedant Patel |
Preceded by | Ned Price |
Personal details | |
Born | Matthew Alan Miller 1973 or 1974 (age 49–50) |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Texas at Austin |
Matthew Alan Miller (born 1973 or 1974) [1] is an American public official, currently serving as spokesperson for the United States Department of State, a position he has held since April 24, 2023. A longtime Democratic communications operative, he has previously served in the Obama administration and for multiple Democratic presidential campaigns.
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]
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]
Miller called United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728 "non-binding", although stating it should be enforced. [8] 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". [9] [10]
Miller married his second wife in 2010. His first marriage ended in a divorce. [1]