Just What America Needs Now: A Biodiversity Czar

Just What America Needs Now: A Biodiversity Czar

This summer, Mary Chastain noted that the Washington Post detailed all the jobs taken up by family members and other relatives of aides in Joe Biden’s administration.

She cited specifically White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain’s wife, Monica Medina. Medina had been nominated to serve as the assistant secretary of state focused on oceans and the environment.

As we head into fall, Media is essentially now the nation’s Biodiversity Czar.

The U.S. has a new diplomat tasked with combating threats to plants, animals and water worldwide. It’s the first time the State Department is linking the issues of biodiversity and water in one role.

“The loss of nature and rising water insecurity are global health threats that must be confronted together,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet.

Monica Medina will take on that role as the Biden administration’s special envoy for biodiversity and water resources.

The twin crises are intertwined and influence efforts to address other issues, including climate change, food security and economic growth, the State Department said, necessitating Medina’s “all-of-government” approach to the new position.

Medina completely checks all the social justice boxes.

Who is Monica Medina?

▪ Wife of WH Chief-of-Staff Ron Klain
▪ Green New Deal Supporter
▪ Owns Our Daily Planet, a website on "how climate change is connected to social justice"
▪ Pushed Sharpie-gate in 2019https://t.co/eaQlBl8Qnd
More at @DConservPodcast today

— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) September 29, 2022

When the announcement was made, WaPo drew criticism about neglecting to identify Medina’s spouse.

In the paper’s “Climate 202” newsletter, the Post reported that State Department official Monica Medina was being appointed to a brand-new position as the “special envoy for biodiversity and water resources,” something the Post dubbed “a diplomat for plants and animals,” without mentioning she’s the wife of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. It later did after criticism grew online.

…Critics slammed the Post’s glaring omission on social media.

“Ron Klain’s wife. They created a government job for Ron Klain’s wife,” Versus Media podcast host Stephen L. Miller reacted.

“The Washington Post wrote a whole piece about Monica Medina getting a new high-level diplomatic job without once mentioning that she’s the White House Chief Of Staff’s wife. Seems relevant to report to your readers,” Daily Caller reporter Dylan Housman tweeted.

“Hey, @whcos, can I have a fake taxpayer salary, too, or do I have to marry you first?” Washington Examiner deputy editor Grant Addison wondered.

Medina’s appointment comes just before an international biodiversity conference taking place in Montreal in December, and the move by Team Biden is receiving criticism.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP-15, is a gathering aimed at creating international frameworks for conservation.

Some critics, like Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.), view this appointment as a misplacement of priorities. This is especially highlighted by other State Department positions that remain vacant, like an ambassador to Italy, reports the Daily Mail. The position is still vacant just as Italy has ushered in far-right leader Giorgia Meloni as prime minister.

As a reminder, Klain himself managed to nab a sweet gig in the Obama administration as the Ebola Czar (with no administrative experience, medical training, or infectious disease expertise).

And the fact that Klain is the White House Chief of Staff goes a long way to explaining the current state of our country.

As Medina is now overseeing policies to prevent “food security,” my concern about the issue has substantially increased.

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