The State Department spokeswoman was at the lectern again Tuesday, fielding questions from reporters about hot spots causing diplomatic agita. The resumption of news briefings also sets the State Department apart in an administration in which many normal practices have been abandoned. The State Department used to brief daily. Ortagus describes herself as a foreign policy wonk who watched the televised State Department briefings when she was in college and had a printout portrait of former secretary Condoleezza Rice on her dorm-room wall. In recent months, State Department officials have tried to “widen the aperture” of news organizations that cover Pompeo’s diplomacy, as Palladino was overheard telling a Christian broadcaster he invited to a briefing last month.

Source: Washington Post May 28, 2019 20:26 UTC