White House Chief of Staff’s Wife Tapped for New Ambassador Post

White House chief of staff Ronald Klain in Washington on June 30, 2021. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The wife of a top Biden administration official was named this week to a new ambassador post, raising questions about whether the official helped secure her the job.

Monica Medina was named on Sept. 28 to a newly created post, the U.S. special envoy for biodiversity and water resources. The position is inside the State Department, which is part of the Executive Branch.

Medina is married to Ronald Klain, the White House chief of staff.

Federal law prohibits public officials from advocating for employment or promotion in an agency in which they are serving, or in an agency in which they exercise authority.

If a person is found to be appointed or promoted in violation of the law, the Treasury Department must withhold pay from the person.

“I think it all boils down to a question of fact: did Ronald Klain advocate for his wife to get this job? And if he did, under this statute, I think she’s disqualified,” Richard Painter, a professor of corporate law at the University of Minnesota and the chief ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration, told The Epoch Times.

Klain could not be reached for comment. The White House did not return an inquiry. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. An inquiry to Medina was not returned.

The Epoch Times has submitted a Freedom of Information Act to see if Klain or other White House officials were in communication with State Department officials about his wife before the appointment was announced.

Medina helped found Our Daily Planet, which describes itself as “the leading independent environmental news platform covering the climate crisis, conservation, and beyond.” She was already working as an assistant secretary at the State Department.

In a public statement, Medina said she was “deeply honored” to be designated as special envoy, adding that she’s looking forward to taking American diplomacy “to the next level to conserve our incredible planet and its rich but at risk biodiversity—and to help all the communities across the world that depend on nature.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a Biden appointee, tapped Medina for the post, which she will perform in addition to her other duties.

As special envoy, Medina will coordinate the government effort to address what the administration described as the climate change crisis, as well as other issues such as the loss of biodiversity.

Medina will also help in the White House effort to implement a water security action plan and a global water strategy, the announcement said.