Former War Reporter Scores Senior Post at State

Secretary of State John Kerry has promoted former Washington Post correspondent Jon Finer to be his new chief of staff following the departure of David Wade, a longtime Kerry loyalist, last month.

In a letter to State Department colleagues on Friday, Kerry hailed Finer’s globetrotting journalism career, including his reporting in Iraq, where he embedded with a Marine battalion during the Iraq War.

“Through all of this, Jon developed a unique perspective on American foreign policy and the impact it has in every corner of the globe,” Kerry wrote.

Before serving as Kerry’s deputy chief of staff, his most recent position, Finer worked as a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken when he was previously the deputy national security advisor, and before that, as a special advisor and foreign-policy speechwriter to Vice President Joe Biden.

In his current position, Finer’s job demands long hours of meetings and foreign travel with the secretary. The promotion is only likely to place more demands and longer hours on the former journalist.

“We have a lot to do over the next two years,” Kerry wrote in his letter, “and whether it is continuing the Iran nuclear talks, defining the path forward with India, our upcoming strategic dialogue with China, our efforts to normalize relations with Cuba, or anything else — we would not be able to take these important steps without the dedication of all of you and the hard work that happens every day at posts all over the world.”

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