Former White House communications aide Mike Hammer was officially sworn in as the State Department’s public affairs chief by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday, although he has been in the job since March.
Hammer gives a press briefing in Spanish in 2011. (Photo: State Dept.) |
Hammer, a former special assistant to President Obama, senior director for press and communications, and National Security Council spokesman, moved to State last year and has the title assistant secretary of State for public affairs.
“He understands the importance of what we’re trying to do, not just government-to-government diplomacy, but people to people,” said Clinton. “And with information rocketing around the globe faster and in more varied ways, we have to be exercising smart power in how we communicate. And that’s why Mike has led Public Affairs to become a collaborative, comprehensive, one-stop shop for all State Department bureaus.”
Hammer said at the ceremony that the U.S. government can’t “cede the ground to the Al Jazeeras and Xinhuas of this world,” noting the State Dept. has increased the numbers of press briefing, bolstered its six regional media hubs, and launched 10 foreign-language Twitter feeds, among other efforts. “We have to be the ones telling our narrative,” he said.
Hammer, who grew up in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish, said to the press covering his swearing-in that media keeps government honest, accountable and sustains democracy. He added: “Perhaps we do not always make it easy for you, but we have a shared common goal: to inform the American people and the world.”
Hammer moved from the White House after the high-profile exit of P.J. Crowley in 2011, the State Dept. public affairs head who criticized the U.S. government’s detention of suspected Wikileaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning.