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State Department Official Who Disbanded Russian Disinformation Unit Has Kremlin Family Ties

Darren Beattie’s marriage to a Russian woman whose uncle received personal thanks from Vladimir Putin has deepened worries about his pro-Russian influence

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Darren Beattie dismantled a government agency that countered Russian, Chinese and Iranian propaganda
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Overview

  • Since his February appointment as acting under-secretary for public diplomacy, Beattie oversaw the dismantling of the State Department’s Russian Disinformation Unit
  • He is married to a Russian national whose uncle held senior political posts in Moscow and received a personal “thank you” from President Putin
  • Beattie has alarmed career diplomats with past social media posts calling for Western institutions to be “infiltrated” by Putin and attacking the “globalist American empire”
  • His ardent pro-Russian views have been linked to the May shutdown of the counter-Russia unit, ordered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio
  • Critics note Beattie’s tenure has also included a purge of State Department staff deemed critical of former President Trump and mocking tweets aimed at Rubio