STORY: Blinken appoints former veteran diplomat to oversee presidential transition within State Department
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 7, 2024
DATELINE: Nov. 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:45
LOCATION: Washington D.C.
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a regular news briefing
2. SOUNDBITE (English): MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. State Department Spokesperson
3. various of Stephen Mull speaking to Xinhua reporter during an interview in January 2024

STORYLINE:

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appointed Stephen Mull, a former diplomat who has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to oversee the transition from President Joe Biden's administration to that of President-elect Donald Trump within the State Department, the department announced Thursday.

SOUNDBITE (English): MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. State Department Spokesperson
"Ambassador Mull will work with the president-elect's team to ensure as successful a transition as possible. The peaceful transfer of power is an essential element of our democracy that is vital to our nation's security. That's why it's so important for us to conduct a smooth, efficient and professional transition process."
   
Mull's most recent position at the State Department was the Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, which he served for a short period of nearly three months between early June and late August 2018 during Trump's first presidential term. Prior, Mull was the U.S. ambassador to Poland from 2012 to 2015 during the second administration of Barack Obama.
   
Mull already started his work on behalf of the State Department, which involved "attending meetings, getting ready to coordinate the process," Miller said, adding that the department has yet to receive contact made by the Trump transition team due to the fact that there's a process that the team will have to go through.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C.
(XHTV)