OAN’s Brooke Mallory
4:26 PM – Wednesday, January 31, 2024
John Kerry will be replaced as the country’s top climate ambassador by White House senior advisor John Podesta, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday.
“We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do,” said White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients in a written statement.
Podesta will serve as the president’s top counselor on international climate policy.
In that capacity, he would oversee the Biden administration’s foreign policy plan on climate change and work in tandem with other State Department officials.
Podesta will also continue to supervise the energy and climate parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrat Party’s 2022 legislation pertaining to taxes, healthcare, and the environment.
Following John Kerry’s recent declaration that he will leave his position as climate envoy to focus on the 2024 campaign, Podesta claims he is taking a more “diplomatic approach” to climate change.
“I am shifting my efforts to where I think they can be best used in an election year,” Kerry said this month.
Throughout his term, Kerry led U.S. negotiations at yearly summits and advocated for worldwide cuts in methane emissions that he says “warm the earth.”
Kerry’s work will be continued by Podesta, who is also well-known for having chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
“Secretary Kerry has put the U.S. back in leadership on climate around the world,” Podesta told reporters. “And we’ll ensure that we keep up the momentum that has been built up through his efforts.”
Podesta came under fire after the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks dumped thousands of emails that purportedly came from the email accounts of both Podesta and Clinton. Podesta later blamed “Russian hackers.”
The FBI and DOJ had even launched a probe against Podesta after the WikiLeaks incident. However, both agencies later discontinued the investigation.
“I would say that Russian interference in this election and apparently on behalf of Mr. Trump is, I think, of the utmost concern to all Americans, whether you’re a Democrat, Independent, or Republican,” Podesta asserted.
Social media users chimed in with their own opinions regarding Podesta’s upcoming position promotion.
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