US President Joe Biden requested that Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland serve as acting Deputy Secretary of State following current officeholder Wendy Sherman's upcoming departure from the role, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2023) US President Joe Biden requested that Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland serve as acting Deputy Secretary of State following current officeholder Wendy Sherman's upcoming departure from the role, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.
In May, Sherman announced that she intended to retire from US government service. Sherman's last day on the job will be July 28, Blinken said in a statement.
"Upon Wendy's retirement, President Biden has asked Victoria Nuland to serve as Acting Deputy Secretary until our next Deputy Secretary is confirmed," the statement said.
The State Department is fortunate to have someone with Nuland's experience, skill and commitment to take on the additional responsibility, the statement said.
Blinken also praised Sherman for her work at the State Department, calling her career "extraordinary by every measure," according to the statement.
Last month, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that news of Sherman's departure sparked "near panic" among State Department staffers who feared Nuland's ascendance to the role due to her hawkishness.
