Acting Trump official spread false rumors about 'low-IQ' Marco Rubio
Although President Donald Trump is filling his administration with ultra-MAGA loyalists, he appointed some establishment Republican figures as well — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, unlike other Trump picks, received strong support from Senate Democrats during a confirmation vote.
But some ultra-MAGA Republicans are critical of Rubio, associating the former U.S. senator with a pre-MAGA era of conservative politics. And according to CNN's KFile, an acting U.S. State Department official deleted some anti-Rubio posts from X.com (formerly Twitter).
That official is Darren Beattie, acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy.
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According to CNN reporters Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, Beattie "deleted at least half a dozen tweets that ridiculed his now- boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, including ones calling him 'low IQ' and repeating a false rumor about Rubio's sexuality. Beattie's comments, they report, "were uncovered as part of a CNN review of his social media and include a mixture of insults and harsh attacks against Rubio."
In a KFile report published by CNN on March 10, Kaczynski and Steck explain, "Beattie, who was fired from his role as a speechwriter during the first Trump Administration after CNN's KFile revealed he attended a conference featuring white nationalists, made a series of attacks over the years against other Republicans, including a number of offensive, homophobic and racist comments. Though Beattie left up several of his most inflammatory posts, he does appear to have purged criticism of Rubio from his feed."
The CNN reporters add, "Beattie deleted tweets suggesting a deep hostility toward Rubio — particularly after the then-senator voted to certify the 2020 election results and condemned the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. One deleted tweet also attacked Rubio for criticizing possible Russian actions in Ukraine."
Kaczynski and Steck note that after Beattle was fired from the first Trump Administration, he founded the far-right media outlet Revolver News — which "spread conspiracies regarding the January 6 attack" on the U.S. Capitol Building.
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Read CNN's full KFile column at this link.
