US Institute for Peace taps State Dept official and right-wing ideologue for top post

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The United States Institute for Peace (USIP) board has appointed senior State Department official Darren Beattie, a right-wing ideologue with a history of inflammatory comments on women and minorities, to lead the congressionally-backed organization.

Beattie, who serves as the senior bureau official at the office of undersecretary for public diplomacy, will maintain his role in the department while leading USIP on an acting basis, the State Department said on Saturday.

"The USIP Board of Directors has appointed Darren Beattie as Acting President of the United States Institute of Peace and we look forward to seeing him advance President Trump's America First agenda in this new role," a senior State Department official said in emailed comments.

Beattie was terminated as a speech writer for Trump in 2018, the Washington Post reported following CNN coverage that he had spoken at a conference attended by well-known white nationalists.

Amid news of his State Department appointment in February, his commentary doubting U.S. foreign policy towards Taiwan and inflammatory comments on women and minorities had come under the spotlight.

"This is a profound opportunity to articulate and advance American interests—as well as to help realign this institute to its fullest potential," Beattie said in separate comments emailed by the State Department.

Founded by the U.S. Congress in 1984, USIP is mandated to protect U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad. Its headquarters sits across the street from the U.S. State Department.

Under President Donald Trump, the administration has sought to control the direction of the Institute, firing most of its board in March and dispatching members of the Department of Government Efficiency in a public standoff that drew local police.

The Institute's board of directors now includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. USIP representatives could not be immediately reached for comment outside of regular business hours.

The move comes amid an ongoing power struggle over the Trump administration’s efforts to control the direction of the independent, nonprofit organization as he seeks to implement his "America First" agenda.

In May, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally ousted leaders of the U.S. Institute of Peace, calling the effort a “gross usurpation of power.”

On Saturday, the State Department official reiterated the administration's criticism of the institute's work, saying: "It is meant to provide research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other peace-building measures, but has slipped in its mission over recent decades."

At the State Department, the role of acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs determines the tone of America's public messaging in the world.