A conservative writer who has written on social media that “competent white men must be in charge” and promoted conspiracy theories regarding the Capitol attack on January 6 has been appointed to a senior position at the State Department.
Darren Beattie was appointed acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Senate confirmation is required for the permanent position.
In a message posted on his website, Revolution News, Beattie affirmed his appointment, which was initially reported by Segafor.
Beattie tweeted that he was temporarily ceasing his connection with his website, adding, “I have been given the great honor of serving once again in Trump’s administration, this time in the Department of State.”
I will temporarily halt my direct editorial role in Revolver News in order to devote all of my attention and energy to helping Secretary Rubio and my distinguished colleagues in the State Department carry out President Trump’s vision, he said.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by the State Department.
In a post announcing his appointment, Revolver News praised his nomination and said it was a serious setback to the same arrogant hacks who like labeling anyone who questions their story as a conspiracy theorist.
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Beattie has a history of making divisive statements, such as the following post on Xin October: “If you want things to work, competent white men must be in charge.” Regretfully, the foundation of our entire national philosophy is depressing capable white males and fostering the sentiments of minorities and women.
Beattie’s website propagated the ludicrous notion that the FBI was responsible for the Capitol attack, or as he described it, a “Fedsurrection.” In 2022, Trump shared on social media that Beattie and Revolver had “exposed so much of the Fake News’ false narrative about January 6th.” He also took advantage of Beattie’s writings and promoted them.
In his post, Beattie praised that work.
“We are, of course, best known for directly challenging the official narrative of January 6 and we are especially proud that President Trump, who recently and heroically pardoned the January 6 political prisoners, has himself cited our reporting on this issue frequently and favorably,” he stated.
After it was revealed that Beattie had attended a meeting with white nationalists in 2016, the former Duke University professor was dismissed from the Trump White House in 2018. He told The Washington Post that he “stands by my remarks completely and said nothing objectionable.”
Beattie was appointed as a senior adviser by now-former Representative Matt Gaetz in 2019. He was named by the White House to a three-year term with the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad a year later, during the last months of the Trump administration. One of its goals is to assist in the preservation of Holocaust sites. At the time, the Anti-Defamation League called the appointment “outrageous.”
In 2022, the Biden administration requested that he leave the unpaid position.